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David Cameron was accused of wasting a "once in a generation" opportunity to reform the European Court of Human Rights this afternoon.
The charge came as the Prime Minister prepared to deliver a speech in Strasbourg proposing a big cut in the number of cases taken on by the court.
Although Attorney General Dominic Grieve insisted there was an "extremely good" chance of victory, officials admitted any reform would be extremely slow, requiring a unanimous vote by all 47 nations in the Council of Europe.
Mr Cameron's plans have already been attacked by Sir Nicolas Bratza, the British president of the court, as pandering to the "popular press".
Labour said Mr Cameron had left his speech too late. Britain is mid-way through a six-month turn in the chair of the Council of Europe - the first chance to shape the agenda for more than 20 years.
Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said Mr Cameron was "hectoring" about reform when he should have been building alliances. "He's unwilling or unable to put in the hard graft required to form strategic alliances, and prefers instead to snipe from the sidelines."
Mr Cameron will blame a 150,000-strong backlog of cases on Strasbourg for acting more like a "small claims court", urging: "The court should be free to deal with the most serious violations of human rights."
Reader views (33)
Would someone tell Guy Fawkes to shut up!
Magna Carta refers to ENGLISH LAW.
It was signed by an ENGLISH KING, and a right wally at that.
- Rabigyin, Scotland, 26/01/2012 21:46
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Why would Cameron really take any opportunity to reform the European Court when it comes in useful as someone to blaim when he gets it wrong and also something to use when his right wingers get restless!!
- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, essex, 26/01/2012 19:39
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... but, yesterday's article inferred media-manic Dave would change the Human Rights Act. One day is a very long time in politics for a waffling media-manic PM and his sycophantic entourage.
Return Great Britain to the Magna Carta and the Law of Negativity and scrap the Human Rights Act.
- Guy Fawkes, Westminster - Hot Air to takes Strasbourg to new highs, 26/01/2012 09:51
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The European Court of Human Rights is a complete waste of time and the taxpayers' money, for the simple reason it's not doing its job.Why have all those riding on the human-rights gravy-train consistently ignored MY right not to have my country invaded by half the Third World? Of course this court doesn't see it as any great problem, because it's comprised of people from countries which no one particularly wants to live in. Can you imagine many potential "new European citizens" in Africa or the Middle East studying details of Bulgaria or Portugal?
No...they all want to come HERE!
- Whitgifter, Croydon, UK, 26/01/2012 09:48
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As per usual, the UK is on it's own, the UK is left, why?
No discussion, always confrontation.
Can anyone inform us of how other countries fare in this court?
- Rabigyin, Scotland, 25/01/2012 22:04
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There are NO main-stream politicians in Britain who would dare gainsay the edicts of the European Soviet Union and the E.C.H.R. - there is not one, except perhaps Mr. Bill Cash and Mr. Nigel Farage.
Cameron, all Labour twerps and especially Nick 'My Euro-Pension' Clegg are awful; cowardly and ought to suffer a mediaeval punishment for their craven subservience to the rotten 'Europe'.
This won't be posted, but it makes me feel better.
- David Davies, London, a Region of the European Soviet Union, 25/01/2012 19:30
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Cameron, Glegg, the labour bloke, whats his name oh yes Milliband, all puppets of Europe.
- The prophet of doom, UK Dustbin of Europe, 25/01/2012 17:44
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The Human Rights Court can overturn any piece of UK legislation it wishes.
Since we cannot vote for the assorted foreigners who sit in this kangaroo court, &
since the UK "government" does what the court tells it to, I reach the following conclusions
1. We are a dictatorship subject t othe whim of foreign lawyers.
2. To regain sovereignty, we need a UKIP/Eurosceptic Conservative coalition,
since the Eurojudges do not have any armed forces to invade us & make us bow to their will.
- The Convenient Truth, Reading, England, 25/01/2012 16:56
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I am surprised that Mr Sadiq Khan ( Shadow Justice Minister) put his head above the parapet in this. Thought he was a Human Rights lawyer in in his previous career and would have been very cozy with the European Court of HR. Perhaps it was someone else .
- cyclops10, London, 25/01/2012 16:19
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EuroLND, London - what a strange comment.
"Maybe because other countries do not elect governments who think playing to anti-European sentiment should be their main occupation."
The man was elected to REPRESENT voter sentiment. He and the government do not own the country. The British people - eg the source of ANY national sentiment - own the country. "Playing to"? How about "responding to"!
- Rogan, Irving, 25/01/2012 14:57
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Cameron, like the pink balloon he resembles all wind and hot air.
- jimmy, Camden Town, 25/01/2012 14:40
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If you voted labour or conservative in the last 15 years you voted for this.
- Jim Bobski, Ramsgate, 25/01/2012 12:50
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@Steve, Brentford -- if you think Cameron is a europhile, what does a europhobe look like in your world?- EuroLND, London, 25/01/2012 12:29
Someone who wouldn't have screwed this up. See title of article.
- Steve, Brentford, 25/01/2012 12:40
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@Tim, London - not only does it cover all EU countries, but all European countries, including 20-or so that are not in the EU. This issue is nothing to do whatsoever with the EU. The Court predates the EU. The discussion you are having in this country about this Court is one that is unknown in other countries. I wonder why? Maybe because other countries do not elect governments who think playing to anti-European sentiment should be their main occupation. Cameron has a catastrophic failing UK economy to fix. I do not see him doing anything about that.
@Steve, Brentford -- if you think Cameron is a europhile, what does a europhobe look like in your world?
- EuroLND, London, 25/01/2012 12:29
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Hasn't anyone noticed yet,when Cameron has to answer any questions from the public he swans of to Europe.Its about time this clown forgot to return,becuse at the end of the day all we've heard from him and his team of out of work Ham actors is just waffle .
- Hamilton Straker., Ealing West London., 25/01/2012 11:51
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Reform is well needed, but I just hope brainless Cameron isn't involved. The actual results will be an awful loophole ridden mess.
We have a government full of arts degree graduates, hardly a technical degree between any of them and it shows! The less legislation they touch the better.
- John, London, 25/01/2012 11:36
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So it's a good day to hide bad news?
The GDP figures out today clearly show what a mess the UK's economy is in, but what do we get from media-manic Dave nothing but a complete distraction on the Human Rights subject that he will probably do absolutely nothing about.
So come on media-manic Dave get your head away from your media-manic waffling yes-men and return the UK's Laws to the Magna Carta and the Law of Negativity for Human Rights decisions. Or, would it be taking away a Liberty?
- Guy Fawkes, Westminster - Hot air prevents Parliament from sinking, 25/01/2012 11:29
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By definition the European Court of Human Rights covers ALL EU countries, not just the UK, and covers, er, human rights i.e against the sort of things mentioned by Charlie. It does and should NOT cover all manner of piffling things that lawyers over here interpret it to mean as part of their cash cow.
Can you imagine other EU countries e.g. France just bending over and doing exactly what it says? No, exactly; it is the way this country meekly gives in and hides behind a "Human Rights" shield that everyone is up in arms against. Yes, anyone falling foul of the law should be entitled to a fair trial and treatment, but that does not mean to say that their "Rights" should supercede those of the vast majority of the law abiding population.
I guess though this is another of those points scoring exercises with more hot air than substance!
- Tim, London, UK, 25/01/2012 11:17
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"Mr Cameron will stress that human rights is a cause that "runs deep in the British heart and long in British history"."
Well if that's the case, why are there OAP's and working class people who are being sent to to prison for 42 days for non-payment of council taxes or missing one payment on their CSA maintenance, now as it's a civil matter not criminal, you have no rights whatsoever as you cannot appeal, you cannot be released early, you will only be let out of prison if you pay the outstanding bill, its akin to kidnap and ransom, something what the UK has in common with Zimbabwe.
- Civvy Street, GB, 25/01/2012 11:09
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"The legal system is designed by lawyers for lawyers- Hansel, London"
And most of our MP and Lords are what? Yes, they're lawyers.
Those turkeys won't be voting for Christmas.
- John Smith, London, EUSSR, 25/01/2012 10:56
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Dear Mr Cameron, as President Clinton said, "Its the economy stupid" and at this time everything else is secondary.
You are doing nothing about the bank bonuses, less than nothing about the economy and you rtotal lack of what is happening economically speaking is starting to embarass conservative voters
How long do you intend to keep a smiley face on a disasterous domestic economic performance and not do the right thing by buiness an those employed.
I hear of business after business cutting back on spending across the board and you prattle on about Human Rights, what planet do your advisers come from, or do they also nknow sweet nothing about the problems facing business pof all sizes. The banks do not care about anyone except themselves and you just donlt understand they are holding your hear to the gun of a barrel threatening to push off. This great country needs more than banks to keep it going. So listen to whats really happening and leave the issue of Human Rights to another day.
Where were the conservatives when all the legislation was being set up in Europe? Nowhere is the answer so please address the economy 24/7 until it starts to get going.
- Robert Marshall, London, 25/01/2012 10:40
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The one basic flaw in the whole HR saga is that: those who deny and abuse the HRs of others deserve to forfeit their own HRs. Until that paradox is resolved the knocking of HRs will continue.
- dhan raj, basildon, 25/01/2012 10:00
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Cameron is an oxbridge liberal europhile with no intention of changing this. As the Texans would say "all hat and no cattle"
- Steve, Brentford, 25/01/2012 09:52
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"This lot should have been with my dad in 1945 when Kossacks - Charlie, london, 25/01/2012 08:53"
And mine Charlie, it haunted him to his grave. More should be told of this horror perpetrated by McMillan, Aldington and co.
- Steve, Brentford, 25/01/2012 09:50
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The legal system is designed by lawyers for lawyers.
Legal loopholes and ambiguity are deliberately left in to legislation to ensure lawyers can be paid to exploit or challenge it at a later date.
The whole process is deliberately slow and archane that whatever you read about now will not be inforce within the next 10 years and will be so watered down it will barely be worth implementing..
- Hansel, London, 25/01/2012 09:46
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More hot air from our hero,somehow I don't think the other 47 countries will take much notice or even listen,this is for the home market he is playing to
- anon leicester, leicestershire, 25/01/2012 09:44
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Until we treat this court's findings as mere opinions, we will continue as a colony of
assorted European apparachniks.
If we cannot pass our own laws without assorted foreigners, including Russians, Greeks & Turks, stopping their enforcement, then we are not a nation state.
- The Convenient Truth, Reading, England, 25/01/2012 09:35
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Charlie, London -
WELL SAID!
We're sick to death of the blood-sucking legal buzzards who make a fortune twisting this honourable piece of legislation for the benefit of their vile clients and their own swollen bank accounts.
- ID, South Coast, UK, 25/01/2012 09:34
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PS
And the only reason ALL TALK is out there is because UK is chairing the Court between Ukraine and Albania .
Wait for the HRA industry to continue to twist the law .
This lot should have been with my dad in 1945 when Kossacks were returned by 8th Army to Stalin following Yalta and they were cutting the wrists of all their kids rather than return to Russia for a fate worse than death .
That was the worthy reason for the convention not the twisting we have seen by the legal aid funded industry and they should be ashamed of their actions of embracing rapists and the likes rather than the victims .
- Charlie, london, 25/01/2012 08:53
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About time too. And while you're in reform mode Dave, how about a little of the same on the EU? Wouldn't hurt and do your ratings a power of good if you gave us a referendum...
- Baron von Richtofen, Biggin Hill, 25/01/2012 08:50
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I am not sure if David Cameron will succeed but I agree with his sentiments.
- Ian, London - UK, 25/01/2012 08:43
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Only in the UK do we have a tax payer/legal aid funded HUMAN RIGHTS INDUSTRY .
Starve them of legal aid and then perhaps we can close this industry down .
- Charlie, london, 25/01/2012 08:41
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Cameron talk with false tongue.Cameron talk many moons but little action.
- dave, london, 25/01/2012 08:33
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