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In negotiating the terms of the coalition agreement, the leaders of theLibDems secured serious commitments to row back much of the nasty,repressive legislation of the last Labour government, whose attackupon basic freedoms was unforgivable.However, the rights to be given back are of little use if access to thecourts, in order to enforce them, is denied.At the Spring 2011 Conference, the Liberal Democrats overwhelminglyadopted a policy which both recognised the need to make savings, butalso reflected upon the long history of ill considered legislation inrelation to Legal Aid which has been rightly criticised repeatedly by theSelect Committee. It proposed alternative funding sources. The Legal Aid provisions of the Bill currently before Parliament ignoreevery aspect of the Party’s policy. For all those who voted for thepolicy, this is completely unacceptable and must be fought, both in theautumn Party Conference and in Parliament.As presently drafted, the Bill:-Removes any obligation to ensure that there are sufficientcompetent lawyers to provide the relevant services. This willlead to a breach of our obligations under ECHR. It means thatwholesale changes can be introduced without the triallingwhich the motion deemed to be essential. Such unfetteredpowers have no place in a democracy.-Removes the right for the citizen to choose his lawyer.
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