Author: Helen Rennie-Smith

You’d be forgiven for thinking that in a democracy you can say what you like thanks to the Human Rights Act of 1998.

The UN also mentions the freedom of opinion and expression in its Declaration of Human Rights. But personal freedoms should always be cherished and used with care. In a fair society my freedom must not impose on yours.

Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 19, Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Hate speech, for instance, is illegal and fraud is a criminal act. This means that you can not express hatred to a person due to his or her skin colour, nationality or sexual orientation. You can also be prosecuted if you deceive people and it is not allowed to spread terrorist propaganda.

You should be protected by the free speech legislation if you:

• Tell the truth, even if it is uncomfortable,
• Blow the whistle on misconduct,
• Present real facts, not an “alternative truth”

Don’t be afraid to get up on your soap box and give us your stance, but do it with dignity and take pride in being honest and true to yourself.

Getting things done is a lengthy process in a democracy, which can be frustrating for an ambitious and impatient government.

It takes a long time to get new laws through Parliament. The reason is that each such document needs to be thoroughly examined before the final approval. Watch this video on Parliament’s website!

No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.

Sir Winston Churchill

This is to make sure that the new piece of legislation fits in with existing laws and everybody concerned gets a chance to give their input. Bypassing these steps to speed things up should not be an option, as it undermines democracy.

In the olden days, the king ruled and what he said was law. Until he changed his mind or until someone else came to power.

The first step towards our modern democratic system was when the law couldn’t be changed at the whim of one person. This created a more stable community, where people knew what’s what and could act and plan their lives accordingly.

Over the years we developed a system, where laws are made in Parliament and the courts make sure that laws are followed. The Government is the executive power and should run the country in accordance with the law. Parliament has the right and the duty to scrutinise the Government and its ministers.

A shop lifter, a murderer and a con-man all break different laws and should be tried in court. No-one is above the law, not even the politicians who make it. If they are suspected of misconduct, they must also be tried. This is the foundation of our democracy and it has to be safeguarded.

Undermining the Rule of Law is the first step towards an undemocratic rule. We don’t want that. That’s why you and I have to work together to protect the status of the courts and let the law rule.

The UN has more details on the Rule of Law.