Meeting of the Parliament 23 February 2016
That exemplifies the tragedy that, although a lot of progress has been made in some areas, the Trade Union Bill is travelling in the opposite direction. The threat to the human rights legislation and, in particular, the role of the European Court of Human Rights is doing a lot of damage not just to the UK and the UK Government but to the international human rights agenda at a very sensitive time when we should be championing human rights in the middle east, Africa and elsewhere, where there are major violations on a daily basis.
I know Michael Gove and I regard him as a very civilised individual. I will be surprised and disappointed if he does not ditch the proposals, which are, frankly, unworkable. It is also clear that the European convention on human rights is written into the statute that set up the Scottish Parliament and the good Friday agreement in Northern Ireland. The proposed legislation cannot go through without the explicit approval of the Scottish Parliament, and I would bet my bottom dollar that the Parliament will utterly refuse to endorse any such proposal.
I hope that Michael Gove and his colleagues will look again at the damage that has been done in Europe to the UK Government’s reputation—which, unfortunately, outflanks all the good work that has been done in some areas—and will come to the conclusion that the proposals ain’t worth the candle and the quicker they are ditched, the better. There could be no greater signal of a commitment to human rights than for Michael Gove and his colleagues to take that decision.
I hope that the issue will not divide members here, because it is divisive in the Westminster Parliament, and it is certainly divisive in the country. I think that there will be strong, uniform opposition to any such legislation. I have had discussions with people such as Dominic Grieve, and it is clear that a significant number of Tory back benchers at Westminster are utterly opposed to the proposals and will go out of their way to frustrate them as much as they can.
I know that the Parliament is absolutely united on not just the principles of human rights but progressing the agenda that has been laid out by the SNAP report, by the commission, by Alan Miller and now by Judith Robertson. As a member of the present Scottish Government—and, I hope, the next Scottish Government—I look forward to taking forward that agenda on a very proactive basis.