PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

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Andy Edwards
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Re: PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

Post by Andy Edwards »

Our legislation on a Victims' Bill of Rights is a first step at focusing on justice- not punishment. But to those who would think for a moment that this is where the Government's work ends, then they have something else coming. Part of the work towards greater justice is ensuring those that are most negatively impacted by crime- the victims- are not only supported and cared for but get a chance to play an active role in criminal justice.

I'm glad to see that this Government's legislation seems to have unqualified universal support, and it goes to show there are areas where we can do more, where we can do better, and where we can all agree that is the case. There's nothing wrong with looking out for the victims who feel as though they've been left behind, and the support from other parties shows that this was the right move by the Government and that this was right in ensuring that victims are supported and included in an important process focused on fairness.
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Re: PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

Post by Andy Edwards »

While I'm so glad to see the cross-party support for the Victims' Bill of Rights, it's not the idea of just myself; many of the proposals find their way directly from Sir William Macpherson's report on the police investigation into the death of Stephen Lawrence. The way that Mr. Lawrence's family was treated, the way they felt cut out and ignored was well-documented and well supported, and the changes recommended by Sir William included the rights which this Government is now enshrining into law.

I'm glad that, while there are a few voices that seem to suggest otherwise, that there is near-universal support to implement the reforms in the Lawrence report when it comes to victims' rights. The more we can draw from this report to make our policing for the better- such as through the Victims' Bill of Rights legislation, the more effective and fair our criminal justice system can become. Our police forces do so much work to keep us safe, and it's this legislation, it's this report and others, that will help them in this ultimate service.
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MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston (1992-) | Labour
Secretary of State for the Home Office (2001-)
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Re: PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

Post by Brown »

As a former director of a community outreach program in my local Derbyshire Constabulary, I commend my friend, the Home Secretary, for tabling this important legislation on behalf of the Government. All too often, victims of crime are not actively involved or aware of their rights in the legal process. Far too often, their voices which should be heard the loudest by authorities fade into the background of the complexities of procedure. I'm proud to support this bill to ensure that the voice of crime victims is clearly heard in all stages of the process and that they are able to be apprised of their rights and, indeed, represented through all stages of proceedings. An important part of reforming the criminal justice system is not only rehabilitating the offender, but also providing assistance to the victims of crime--this bill takes an important step forward in making clear that we can not have one without the other. While this bill is only the first step in the long journey to reforming our criminal justice system to bring about a more secure, more just society, it is an excellent first step, and one I heartily welcome from this Government.
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Re: PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

Post by Will Frost »

I was happy to cast a vote in favor of the Government's Victims Bill of Rights. It is a commonsense proposal, made all the stronger by the amendments tabled by the Shadow Home Secretary and accepted as friendly by the Government. Defending the rights of victims, and strengthening their access to much needed support, should always be a cross party venture and will continue to be in the eyes of the Conservative Party. I am very pleased that we were able to work so constructively on this matter, and look forward to continuing to work positively with the Government to combat crime and to vehemently support those who are the victims of it.
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Re: PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

Post by Amelia Lockhart »

Securing a justice system that works for all is a priority for this Government. The Victims Bill of Rights is a vital step in the right direction, providing the first set of legislated protections for victims in the UK. No longer will victims feel left out and left in the dark about how justice is being done. This implements - and builds on - recommendations made by the Macpherson Report to improve how victims are treated, particularly by supporting the police to do their vital work effectively. We are going further than any government in history to protect the rights of those who have been harmed and ensure we hear loudly the voices of victims.
Amelia Lockhart
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Re: PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

Post by Alex Cardigan »

Cross-party support for this legislation is all well and good, and it is easy to cloak the arguments made in that veil, but the debate here has revealed a truly nasty side to the Conservative Party. A side that goes against evidence, goes against the views of the Met itself, and is willing to pander to ugly racist sentiment if it means winning a few cheap votes. The police in this country do have an issue with institutional racism. They admit that. You cannot support victims on one count and then ignore the sufferers of institutional racism. Supporting cross-party legislation on justice is a noble move - but the Conservatives are stopping well short of supporting the change that this country needs in the interests of people from all backgrounds.
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Re: PC 7: Victim's Bill of Rights

Post by Barclay A.A. Stanley »

This is a tale of what can happen when you propose something so utterly non-controversial that everyone agrees in principle. The Victim's Bill of Rights presents the British public with a nice little feel-good moment in British politics, increasingly rare these days, and shows that the government are very much run by a moderate wing. "Not only tough on crime, but take unprecedented action to safeguard and support victims of crime" is a nice line from the Chancellor.

The once-Shadow Home Secretary, Dame Evelyn, comes out first in support, but champions a few amendments made by the Conservative Party. This helps bolster them not just as following along with the government but fundamentally improving the government's otherwise good position. Home Secretary Andy Edwards then comes in and leads the government's push to make hay while the sun shines and does a fairly good job. He is backed up by a veritable who's who of the Labour frontbench barring, curiously, the Prime Minister herself who is rather noticeably absent from the discussion. It isn't a big thing, PMs don't always comment on legislative efforts, but a quick, public word from the Prime Minister would likely have raised the profile of the government's actions and helped them capitalize a little more off the Home Secretary's good work.

By contrast, the Tories were scarce in terms of the number of people who came out to speak on this issue, which is a shame given that they really could have made some good gains through showing themselves to be united and positive. Here's a hint: if you want to cast of the "nasty party" image, then you need to make the most out of all of your chances to not be nasty. Will Croft, as usual, is out in full force and has some decent things to say-- nothing very substantive, of course, but a restatement of the nice sentiment the British public has about this whole affair.

The Liberal Democrats came out with an interesting strategy on this one. While Labour and the Tories were singing kumbaya around the camp fire of cross-party collaboration, the Lib Dems criticized both parties for their commitment to "tough on crime" approach. Becky Flair came out first, saying that there needed to be a lot more looking into the rehabilitation of criminals. That was fine enough and a point well taken by the mushy, centrist types who are attracted to the Liberal Democrats as a general rule. But then Alex Cardigan comes out with two statements that really raise the hackles of anyone but the most committed liberals: first, that the punishment of crime in this country is Victorian; second, that the police are racist and the Tories are too. This is, to say the least, a polarizing set of statements and it might not have the effect that his leader, Flair is looking for when she targets Tory voters in the next general election. It does, however, help Cardigan further cement his reputation within the party as a liberal lion and a champion of the party's base.

Overall, the Labour Party and the Conservatives gain from this movement, and the Liberal Democrats reassure their base, but don't make much traction with anyone else. In fact, they sort of have those valuable Tory voters they covet wondering if the Lib Dems are abandoning their cushy, mushy centrism for a more extreme liberalism modeled on some well-known Scandinavians.

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