Psst...

Do you want to get language learning tips and resources every week or two? Join our mailing list to receive new ways to improve your language learning in your inbox!

Join the list

English Audio Request

Qrs
462 Words / 1 Recordings / 1 Comments

Hello, I'm Katie Myler, Ed Miliband's spokeswoman. When he became Leader of the Labour Party on 25 September 2010, Ed Miliband also became the Leader of the Opposition. He thinks that Torys intention to abandon the European Convention on Human Rights will be a “disaster” for Britons. It has “protected the rights of victims of crime”, and he actually claimed he was against this holding of a referendum for UK's membership of the ECHR membership due to the uncertain consequences it may create.

You're absolutely right, DC uses the european confusion, because he does not clearly announces his plan to make a break with the european convention of human rights, what may bring UK closer to Russia.
DC is aware that GB's place is in the european union, and in preparing the GB's withdraw of the ECHR, he is only feeding the eurosceptics with honeyed cakes. This has nothing to do with European union, but it seems like being anti-european.

It's a deplorable position ! UK was among the first to ratify the Convention in 1951. ECHR is none other the tool to make respect fundamental rights. As JP Costa said, "ECHR takes the best features of each system".

Do you realise you're talking about erasing the 1998 Human Right Act voted on during Tony Blair's mandate ?
This would make London adhesion to the european convention meaningless. Human rights are not an option that politicians can impulsively give or retire. You allow yourself to quote Churchill in your political speeches, but you are just promising the destruction of his heritage.

Tell us why you really want to withdraw from ECHR ?

=> It's à 10 years old law dispute ! You can't call into question such an institution, just because the right of vote to convicted criminals "make you physically sick". ECHR is protecting human rights in the UK. Prisoners who are in jail even have human rights, that british government can't violate with impunity.
=> Refusing to respond to DC and eurosceptic's pressure is justified, all the more so as this will to instaure a kind of tightness between national and european decision is symbolic and does not make knowingly of London-Strasbourg relationships. RU is in lower conviction rates : 60%, against 83%.

As Terry Scuoler (EEF chief executive) said, DC's strategy is not risk-free, If the output port of EU is opened to GB, that would reduce our capacity to influence on the reforms Europe needs.

You're right, I think this threat may weaken ECHR authority, by sarting to benefit from freedoms provided to member states, because the Court has not an enforceable but a a declaratory power.

It's short-sighted. ECHR is first and foremost to protect citizens, and not to weaken them, what this Samantha clearly did'nt understand.

Recordings

Comments

Mozzo
Nov. 23, 2014

I started to record this, but it's probably best left to a Brit.

I'm assuming DC is David Cameron. What is RU? (shrug). There are also some minor grammatical errors and misspellings in here - whomever records this text, should clean it up a bit in an editor first, or else it'll make you stumble as you read.