Letter to Michael Gove MP regarding the Totalitarianism Bill

Adapted from the letter to various Lords, this is the letter sent to my MP, Michael Gove (Tory), see also these previous articles.

Dear Mr. Gove,

I am writing to you as I have great concern regarding the "Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill".

This bill has a disarmingly benign title and aim; after all, who could oppose a bill designed to cut red tape?

To my, admittedly inexpert, eye, the bill seems to give ministers the power to create arbitrary new offences with penalties of up to two years without reference to parliament. More than this, the bill allows any piece of legislation, including itself, to be amended. Regardless of the intent of the bill, such a bill is, at best, ill advised. Even if one attributes the best of intentions to the current government, one should not have laws which rely upon good intentions – we cannot guarantee that such a law will never be abused. I would like to draw your attention to Section 1, Section 3 and Section 6.

This piece of legislation, which is woefully out of the public eye, has the potential to be one of the most, if not the most damaging piece of legislation passed by this government.

Please allow me to emphasise that I am concerned that such laws could be abused by some future Government, and that even if the laws are made with the best of intentions now, the potential for such abuse must not be built in.

Yours Sincerely,

Further Reading:

• The Tipping Point by Perfect.co.uk, with a helpful list of rebellious labour MPs
• Letter in the Times (From six QCs at the University of Cambridge
• Daniel Finkelstein writing in the Times
• Marcel Berlins in the Guardian
• Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill, with the quote "tell me that something is not rotten in the State of New Labour Britain" by Tom Paine
• The Legislative & Regulatory Reform Bill: A Slippery Slope? by Iain Dale
• ‘Dictatorship Britain’ in the making? by Bill Cameron
• Wonko’s World with a campaign letter, the Little Man in Toque has a copy.
• Walking the Streets with a brief history of ‘anti terror’ legislation
• Enabling Tyrrany from Many Angry Gerbils
• The Totalitarianism Bill from Fourthplace
• Legislative and Regulatory Reform Bill - arbitrary powers for Ministers by Order, no exempt Acts, no full public consultation no detailed scrutiny by Parliament from SpyBlog
• Blair’s Egomania from Europhobia
• The Legislative & Regulatory Reform Bill from LabourWatch
• Henry VIII resurrected from the Conservative Party Reptile (odd name!)
• The Omnibus Henry VIII Bill? from OwenBlog
• Changing Laws without Parliament from the Adam Smith Institute Blog
• An article from the Daily Telegraph (scroll down to Henry VIII)
• Democracy? We’ve Heard of It from easyweb
• Murphy’s Law from Chicken Yoghurt
• Housesitting from Non Trivial Solutions
• The Bill Itself