(no subject)

[mrph]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/6287091.stm

I've mentioned Brian Haw before. Probably as an example of just how ridiculous our lawmakers can sometimes be. After all, it's not everyone who gets their own personal law, is it?

Well, he was back in court again today. He won. Heh. Result. It won't be the end of it, of course, but still...

Comments

[zotz]

If the law was specifically to stop him protesting, then how come he's still there perfectly legally under the terms of that law?

[mrph.livejournal.com]

Becuase they weren't competent enough to get it right?

My understanding is that the section regarding protests near parliament was added purely to deal with his protest. I might be wrong, of course.

As noted, it initially failed because it wasn't backdated. Now this one's failed because the police didn't understand how to use their powers. Ho hum.

[zotz]

I think you're wrong.

It didn't initially fail - it succeeded. The argument that the powers needed to be backdated was rejected by the appeal court. It having been firmly established that he needed police permission, that permission was then given.

Today's case wasn't over whether he should be there, but whether the police acted within their powers in removing all but ten feet of his placards. The decision is that their reasons for doing this were too vaguely expressed, and that the Chief Constable delegated the decision in the wrong way. It doesn't actually relate at all to the legality of Haw's presence - his presence is accepted as legal due to the permission the police granted him.

[zarbi.livejournal.com]

I also thought it sounded ridiculous, until I heard a recent report which discussed this in more depth.

This was not just a simple peaceful protest. It was over 600 (600!) banners, and included continuous use of a megaphone. At some point, there has to be limits.

[zotz]

He's allowed to be there with up to a three-metre stretch of placards, and he does still get to use a megaphone at least sometimes - I heard him using it when I was in Westminster a couple of weeks ago.

[zarbi.livejournal.com]

Personally, I find such protests hugely simplistic and naive, when the issues are so complex.

[zotz]

Arguably, yes. On the other hand, a simple message will reach more people than a complex one. He could write a complex analysis on the placards, really small, but who would that convince?

You can't really see or hear him from any of the working parts of the building. You don't have to be far away before he's quieter than the traffic nearby.