In the mighty coalition struggle there are some issues that neither partner is prepared to back down on without a fight. Human rights are fast becoming one of them. The Liberal Democrats continue to defend the Human Rights Act, whilst the Conservatives continuously pledge to get rid of it.
That's why the repeated call of the Conservative Party to renegotiate the European Convention on Human Rights to prevent immigrants abusing the current system is one which is bound to be controversial.
However, this isn't just about human rights, which in themselves are enough to cause tension, it's also about Europe. As well as immigration. As ingredients for controversy and political fallout go they make for a pretty pungent broth, particularly as Nick Clegg has already bought one of them up this week by calling for further European integration.
In his speech at the Centre for Policy Studies Immigration Minister Damian Green called for a crackdown on "family migration", citing sham and forced marriages as areas in which the government is proposing tough action. In a strongly worded speech Green said "if your marriage is not genuine, if you have no interest in this country and its way of life, if you are coming here to live off benefits, don't come in the first place".
The speech comes as part of a review by the government to prevent immigrants abusing the family visa system, especially after several foreign criminals who the Home Office has tried to deport have been allowed to stay in the UK, under article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This stipulates the right to a private and family life and was incorporated into British law in the Human Rights Act
Speaking on article 8 Green said "we have established a Commission to investigate the creation of a UK Bill of Rights. It is my sincere hope that the Commission will help bring some common sense back to this, admittedly difficult, area."
There are some issues which the Conservatives have been willing to back down on, in a bid to keep their coalition partners happy, but they have always been cautious in their choices. They allowed the referendum on AV to go ahead because, even without the full commitment of David Cameron to the 'no campaign' they knew that they were still likely to get the result they desired.
Human rights however are a completely different kettle of fish. David Cameron has been calling for the scrapping of the Human Rights Act since he became party leader in 2005 and has repeated the call numerous times since then.
If the Conservatives want any realistic chance of renegotiating the European Convention on Human Rights, and achieving their eventual hope of scrapping the Human Rights Act and replacing it with a British Bill of Rights, they will need to fight for it, and will need to be incredibly careful and clear about the language they use, such is the sensitivity of the issue. That means no u-turns and no deviation from the party line.
Nick Clegg can also ill-afford a u-turn from his stringent defence of human rights. In the past Clegg has stated that previous governments have been guilty of "allowing a myth to take root that human rights are a foreign invention, unwanted here, a charter for greedy lawyers and meddlesome bureaucrats", and has vowed to protect human rights laws.
Clegg has already given in on one defining issue, that of student fees, the after effects of which were dire. Therefore he must sense the need to stand firm on the issue of human rights.
Of course the Conservatives will not just be fighting the Liberal Democrats on the issue, they will also face opposition from Labour, given that it was under their watch that the Human Rights Act was introduced, and they have made clear their intention to defend the Act with all their might. High profile MPs such as Dianne Abbott have been particularly strong in their defence of the Act.
Whilst both coalition partners will want to stand firm on the issue of human rights, neither Cameron nor Clegg will want to jeopardize the coalition unless they absolutely have to. How they settle their differences on the issue is yet to be seen, but expect some political fireworks on the way.
Comments
Be the first to comment on this article!