Unlocking Democracy: 20 Years of Charter 88
Article posted by Unlock Democracy
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In December 1988 the New Statesman magazine published Charter 88. Its opening words were: ‘We have had less freedom than we believed.’ Those words are as true today as they were then. Yes, there have been great achievements: devolution to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; a Human Rights Act; and a Freedom of Information Act. Our country is a better place as a result of what Charter 88 and others have achieved.
But some things have also got worse. The government’s response to the rise of Al-Qaeda-inspired terrorism has been to curb some of our traditional freedoms. This is why Unlock Democracy, which incorporates Charter 88, will continue to fight for rights and freedoms in the UK.
Unlocking Democracy: 20 years of Charter 88 is a series of essays that looks back at what has been achieved and, even more importantly, seeks to identify what needs to be done now. It offers a diverse and challenging collection from across the political spectrum which is sure to stimulate debate. The impressive list of contributors comprises:
Anthony Barnett; Geoffrey Bindman; Gordon Brown; David Cameron; Douglas Carswell; Louise Christian; Nick Clegg; Deborah Coles; Simon Davies; Brice Dickson; Peter Facey; Zac Goldsmith; Katherine Gundersen; Nick Herbert; Simon Hughes; John Jackson; Helena Kennedy; Helen Margetts; Bhikhu Parekh; Trevor Phillips; Alexandra Runswick; Helen Shaw; Trevor Smith; Alan Trench; Stuart Weir
Published by Politico’s Publishing in association with Unlock Democracy.
January 18th, 2009 at 1:12 pm
[...] Katherine Gunderson has written an excellent chapter on Freedom of Information for our book Unlocking Democracy: 20 Years of Charter 88. I would encourage you to buy a copy for yourself – and your [...]
January 18th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
[...] Katherine Gunderson has written an excellent chapter on Freedom of Information for our book Unlocking Democracy: 20 Years of Charter 88. I would encourage you to buy a copy for yourself – and your [...]
January 27th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
[...] Unlock Democracy Event 27th January 2009 [...]
May 28th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
[...] With the current debate about democratic reform currently waging across the UK, Unlock Democracy is publishing the chapters written by the main party leaders in their recent book Unlocking Democracy: 20 Years of Charter 88: [...]
November 15th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
[...] you are at all interested in democracy and human rights, I would suggest that you buy the book, and sign up to the web-site. Because however good a political party sound when in opposition, as [...]