The relationship between state and society has been overturned. The state no longer respects any lines; it no longer considers that there are areas of life that should be outside of its control.
In the UK, people have been criminalised for silent prayer, or for looking at their neighbours. Most activities in public spaces are now licensed or otherwise restricted (including leafleting, busking, and political campaigning). People have received legal orders telling them to cut their grass or telling them what they can wear in their garden.
The state takeover of everyday life is having a very negative effect upon our lives and relations with others. The micromanagement of activities in public streets is leading to spaces that are barren and characterless. Intervention in relations between neighbours means that people are less able to negotiate disagreements in a reasonable manner.
We do not gain strong communities, vibrant public spaces, or responsible and respectful individuals, as a result of patrolling busybodies or personalised legal restrictions. These things are the result of freedom – of people associating freely, offering their talents for others to enjoy, helping each other out, and negotiating disputes and boundaries.
The more that everyday freedom is restricted, the more that people’s wellbeing, development, and moral responsibility are curtailed.
Of course, when criminal offences are being committed the state needs to step in. But there should be vast spheres of life – our neighbourhoods, our streets, our homes – where people largely run things for themselves.
While society is tied up with red tape, officials have been given unprecedented powers to act as they please – to stop anyone riding a bike, to fine people for minor misdemeanours, or to banish them from an area.
Giving arbitrary powers to officials is not the route to civilised communities. It is the route to the destruction of communities – as well as the destruction of respect for law and criminal justice. Arbitrary powers make officials little better than cowboys or mafiosi.
Our Manifesto is for the righting of the balance between the state and society. The state needs to respect some lines again; the whole of life does not belong to it. And state powers should be subject to strict controls, to ensure that they are being used proportionately and in the public interest.
Here are some specific changes that we campaign for. Behind these lie the broader principle: more freedom for society, more rule of law for the state!
Free campaigning in public spaces
People should not have to pay a fee or fill in a form in order to campaign in their town centre. Councils should allow free campaigning in principle, or provide an area where campaigning is allowed.
Scrap Public Spaces Protection Orders
Council officers should not be able to ban a public activity just because they think it is having a ‘detrimental effect on the quality of life’. New restrictions need to focus on significant public nuisance and to receive democratic assent.
Scrap Community Protection Notices
Council and police officers should not be able to issue on-the-spot legal orders that can impose incredibly coercive restrictions on people’s conduct in their homes or in public spaces. In general we oppose personalised legal orders because they are unjust and interfere with people’s rights.
Stop the criminalisation of homelessness
We oppose the use of enforcement powers against homeless people simply for being homeless. This merely makes their lives more difficult and does nothing to solve this social problem.
End dispersal powers
Dispersal powers allow police and council officials to reign as kings of the high street, banning people if they don’t like the look of them or think they might do something. So long as someone has not committed a crime, they have every right to remain in a public space.
Stop monitoring speech
We oppose systems for monitoring and reporting ‘unacceptable’ speech or opinions, including non-crime hate incident reporting, as well as institutions’ secret or official reporting systems. Nobody should be reported or prosecuted for comments made in their own home (as under Scottish hate crime law).
Allow community posters
People have been fined for putting up posters about lost cats or charity events. Councils should either allow deemed consent for community posters, or provide public notice boards where they can be freely displayed.
No licences for busking or leafleting
Members of the public should be able to hand out leaflets or busk, so long as they aren’t causing an obstruction or other nuisance. Officials don’t own public spaces and they don’t have a right to issue licences for such low-key and informal activities.
Stop fining for profit
Councils shouldn’t be allowed to contract private enforcement companies who are paid per fine. Such deals lead to corruption and thousands of fines for anodyne activities such as feeding the birds or ‘idling’. Enforcement should be impartial and in the public interest.
End vetting for parent volunteers
Parents should not need to be criminal records checked in order to help out on their child’s school trip. Adults should take responsibility for children’s safety and wellbeing as a civic duty, rather than relying on a ‘safe adult card’ such as a criminal records check.
Respect the privacy of the home
There needs to be greater control on the number of officials who can enter our homes, and in which circumstances. We also oppose closure orders and other powers to shut up homes or premises that are ‘associated with nuisance’.
End ‘no crime’ confiscation powers
Too many powers allow police or council officials to confiscate your property, even though you haven’t committed an offence and without any legal process. We oppose alcohol confiscation and the confiscation of items because they might cause ‘distress’.