One of the joys of being a peer is being able to give a completely fresh view of things that disrupts the accepted dialogue about a topic. Here I am raising objections to the Investigatory Power Bill at a meeting in the Grand Committee
Category: Civil liberties
Government, the police and intelligence services are too easily given sweeping powers that they too often abuse.
Jenny works with campaigners to defend our civil liberties. She has worked on legislation like the Investigatory Powers Bill, raised the cases of victims of state power such as detained pregnant women, and defended the right to protest.
Another Ministerial power grab
See video of my Parliamentary question here
The government have introduced another piece of legislation that will potentially give Ministers the power to make up laws? The Private International Law Bill appears to give Ministers the ability to make up new laws when seeking resolutions in disputes between individual and companies. I’ve been questioning the Minister about their intention to attach criminal fines and imprisonment to civil disputes. It is wrong in principle, for any secondary legislation to extend the provisions and powers in primary legislation. It becomes very dangerous if Ministers are doing this and making criminals of people.
Greens raise alarm about creation of parallel government machinery
The Green Party has raised serious concerns over Michael Gove’s appointment of four new non-execs to the Cabinet Office. [1]
It has been announced this week that Minister for the Cabinet Office, Michael Gove, has appointed Lord Hogan-Howe, Baroness Finn, Henry de Zoete and the Rt Hon Gisela Stuart as Non-Executive Board Members to the Cabinet Office, extending the role of non-accountable appointees at the heart of the government. Continue reading “Greens raise alarm about creation of parallel government machinery”
Substantive contact list
Queen Speech: my response to the crime and justice sections
My Lords, it came as no surprise to me that there was nothing to delight my soul in the Government’s programme. For example, a fair justice system that keeps people safe takes more than a royal commission; it takes resources. When budgets have been cut by one-third, the system does not function well and justice suffers. I hope that the royal commission will examine the impact of austerity on fairness and access to justice. I also question any attempt to impose longer sentences when we are failing to deal with the care and rehabilitation of the large number of people already in the system. The probation service and the Prison Service are unable to cope properly with the existing numbers. If you add to that number, you are adding to those pressures and problems. Continue reading “Queen Speech: my response to the crime and justice sections”
Met Police acted unlawfully in Extinction rebellion ban
This is an historic win because for the first time we’ve challenged the police on overstepping their powers and we’ve won. It’s great.
This shows how the police have gone beyond their powers when dealing with peaceful environmental protests, There is a pattern in recent years of the police being under pressure from the government to help impose fracking on communities that don’t want it and to stop the highly successful Extinction Rebellion from raising the issue of climate change. Government Ministers were very vocal in wanting the police to clamp down on Extinction Rebellion’s October protests, after the summer protests led to Parliament passing a motion declaring a climate emergency.
Court date 24th October – Extinction rebellion ban
Extinction Rebellion’s application for Judicial Review has been scheduled for an urgent day-long hearing in the High Court on Thursday 24 October from 10.30am. Baroness Jenny Jones, Caroline Lucas MP, Clive Lewis MP, David Drew MP, Ellie Chowns MEP, George Monbiot, and Adam Allnut are bringing the action on behalf of Extinction Rebellion to challenge the police’s blanket ban on our protests across the whole of London for the remainder of the week. Continue reading “Court date 24th October – Extinction rebellion ban”
Legal challenge to Extinction Rebellion ban
A collection of Climate rebels, including Parliamentarians such as myself, Caroline Lucas MP and Ellie Chowns MEP, are taking the Met Police to court to challenge the Section 14 Order which bans Extinction Rebellion Protests throughout the whole of London. We believe that the ban is an abuse of the law and in violation of fundamental human rights and our lawyers are seeking an emergency hearing this afternoon. We expect that the Court will rule the ban null and void. Continue reading “Legal challenge to Extinction Rebellion ban”
Austerity and deaths on lawless roads
If you are a pedestrian who gets killed or suffers serious life changing injuries as a result of being hit by a car, there is more than a one in ten chance that the driver will fail to stop. One of the reasons our roads have become so lawless is the lack of resources put into police investigation and enforcement of road crimes.
Continue reading “Austerity and deaths on lawless roads”Latest Podcast out
Green Jenny Jones talk to Shane Collins about how to decriminalise drugs
I worked with Shane for years in the London Green Party, before he moved to Frome and got himself elected to Mendip District Council. He has been involved with writing the Green Party’s policy on drugs and he has a long history of campaigning on a host of issues. Continue reading “Latest Podcast out”
Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb 