Civil liberties – Page 2 – Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb

Question to Minister on protecting the right to protest

Published on April 9, 2019April 12, 2019 by iwin1961

Today around 3pm I’ll be raising the issue of freedom to protest with questions to the Government in the House of Lords about the Court of Appeal’s striking out an injunction obtained by INEOS in a secret court. The successful appeal was brought by two individuals and Friends of the Earth, representing an enormous victory for the right to protest. It will hopefully pave the way for more successful appeals by peaceful protestors who have had their human rights restricted by the frackers and other environmental vandals. Continue reading “Question to Minister on protecting the right to protest” →

Minister agrees to examine police whistle-blower claim on child spies

Published on March 18, 2019March 19, 2019 by iwin1961

I have asked the government to investigate a claim by a whistle-blower that the police are setting targets for regional police services to increase the use of juveniles as Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS) as part of their efforts to combat county lines drug gangs. The whistle-blower approached my office with the information, but I can not verify the claim and have asked the Minister in the Lords to find out if this is happening. Continue reading “Minister agrees to examine police whistle-blower claim on child spies” →

Government will count number of spy kids used by police

Published on March 13, 2019March 18, 2019 by iwin1961

At last, after much nagging, the government is starting to count the number of juveniles used as police spies, or as they call them, Covert Human Intelligence Sources (CHIS). In a Lords’ debate, peers criticised the government for extending to four months the time that children can be used by the police before the operation is reviewed and can be extended. I have organised another airing of this issue with an oral question to the Minister on 18th March.

Continue reading “Government will count number of spy kids used by police” →

Taser use needs radical rethink

Published on March 12, 2019March 18, 2019 by iwin1961

Since the introduction of Tasers to the UK police force in 2003, the number of officers carrying tasers, as well as the number of incidents involving tasers, has grown dramatically. Between 2017 and 2018 alone, there were 18,000 reported incidents involving tasers, which have disproportionately affected black people and people with mental disabilities.

Continue reading “Taser use needs radical rethink” →

The police helped blacklist trade unionists

Published on March 7, 2019March 19, 2019 by iwin1961

Unfortunately I couldn’t be at the meeting organised by the Blacklist Support Group but this is my message of support:

It’s been a privilege to be allied with the Blacklist Support Group in their exposure of the corruption within the police. There are direct links between the lives ruined by blacklisting, the spying on people labelled domestic extremists like myself, and the invasion of many women’s lives by undercover police. Political policing has been a nasty reality in this country for decades and I stand in solidarity with all those trade unionists and campaigners who have worked hard to expose the lies and deceits which state sponsored spying has inflicted on innocent people.

Further questions on child spies

Published on February 27, 2019February 27, 2019 by iwin1961

The police now have a four-month period before they have to review the deployment of individual child spies. I want to know if this change in the rules by the government will lead to the police using child spies more frequently. As well as putting forward a series of written questions (below), I will ask this question of the Government on 18^thMarch:

“Further to the Regret Motion of 16 October 2018, what assessment has Her Majesties Government made of the recruitment, use, deployment, numbers and oversight of children used as spies by the Police?” Continue reading “Further questions on child spies” →

Latest podcast out

Published on February 20, 2019March 19, 2019 by jonesjb

In episode 7 of Jen’s Green Jam I interview fellow peer Chris Holmes, winner of 9 Gold medals! We talk about his part in bringing us the incredibly successful 2012 London Paralympics plus why diversity in the workplace is important and how we can help achieve it.

Enabling Talent – listen now on Podbean and PlayerFM

Latest podcast now available

Published on January 17, 2019March 19, 2019 by jonesjb

Ending the war on drugs and what happens next, with ex-undercover officer Neil Woods – listen here

Neil has authored two fascinating books about his experiences as an undercover cop turned whistle blower and he joins me to give us his insights on the war against drugs and explain: how drugs money has caused escalating violence on the streets; why younger children are being used; how drugs money supports others forms of crime and leads to endemic corruption in our police force. Continue reading “Latest podcast now available” →

Message to ‘Make Votes Matter’ mass lobby of Parliament

Published on December 11, 2018December 21, 2018 by jonesjb

You are playing an essential role in our parliamentary democracy, in making your voices heard. I’m hopeful that your MPs will listen and start to think hard about the fact that our voting system is completely broken.

Continue reading “Message to ‘Make Votes Matter’ mass lobby of Parliament” →

Stansted 15 must be freed

Published on December 10, 2018February 21, 2019 by iwin1961

We urgently need new legislation to exempt those taking part in non-violent direct action from all the anti-terrorism legislation that has been passed in previous years. That legislation was not (we hope) designed to throw peaceful protestors into prison, but it is now being used to jail fifteen citizens whose ‘crime’ was to stand in the way of deporting people, some of whom have subsequently won the right to remain. Continue reading “Stansted 15 must be freed” →