Member

I wonder whether the proposers have been reading the news over the past few weeks. We do not have to look far to see where the kinds of wishful thinking reflected in these amendments are making this country all but ungovernable, as many serious commentators are observing, and contributing to widespread anger and social unrest. We really should not be looking to put another log on that fire. We should recognise that the public at large want government by elected representatives, not human rights lawyers. It is increasingly obvious to the public that well-intentioned supranational conventions can themselves over time become politicised, reinterpreted and even weaponised. So, sadly, I believe that these amendments can be interpreted as reflecting what has to be described as an elitist desire to thwart democracy pre-emptively where it does not fit with that elite’s worldview. In my view, this Chamber should always want to protect democracy, not undermine it.