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Compromised Human Rights

Britain leads the world in Human Rights - so much so, that our biggest problem in Human Rights is making balances between contradictory rights.  Therefore, not all Human Rights can be absolute.  For example:

  • Free speech contradicts the right not to be offended.

  • Gay Rights (usually) offend deeply-held religious convictions.

  • The right to travel (usually) contradicts the right to live in a pollution-free environment.

  • The right to justice (for victims of crime) contradicts the rights of people convicted of a crime.

  • The right to walk a dog contradicts the rights of those with a fear of dogs.

  • The right to have a party contradicts the right to peace and quiet.

 

Human Rights is no longer a matter of legislation, it is about common-sense things like tolerance and a bit of give-and-take.  There would seem to be little to say here, but I want to make three points:

  1. Where someone is convicted of a crime, their human rights, while important, cannot be allowed to frustrate the rights of others, particularly those they have committed a crime against.  If your car is vandalised, and the police know who did it, you should be able to sue the perpetrator,  not be frustrated by the perpetrator's 'right to privacy'.  If your house is broken into, you should have the right to meet person face to face, if that helps you come to terms with the break-in.  It is frustrating that the mantra of Human Rights is most vigorously expressed when talking about criminals.  They have infringed the human rights of other people (sometimes infringing the Right to Life) so their human rights should not take priority over other people's rights.  If you commit a crime against someone, that should be enough to suspend your right to privacy or any other rights, for that matter.  It is time the victim got a fair deal!

  2. We know we have a right to peacefully protest, a fair trial if we are accused of a crime, or marry whomever we want.  But there is another basic human right that often gets forgotten:  the right of ordinary people to go about their legitimate business.  It cuts across all other rights.  Too often, minorities claim that they have a right to demonstrate about something, even though they are being a nuisance.  But the people who are inconvenienced because a road is closed are having their right to go about their business denied.  We should shout about the rights of ordinary people a bit more, even though it creates a lot of of extra clashes between different groups' human rights.

  3. No compromise on the right of free speech!  Only one right can be absolute, so let's make sure it's this one!

What would you do to resolve the clashes of human rights?  Please comment here.

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