Stuart Weir is founder of <a href=http://www.democraticaudit.com/about/index.php target=_blank>Democratic Audit</a> at the Human Rights Centre, University of Essex, and co-founder of Charter 88.
Stuart Weir reviews a new autobiography of Lord Smith, an energetic crusader for democracy and social justice - and a vital ally during stormy times at the New Statesman magazine.
The public want social rights such as the right to housing, healthcare and decent living standards, on an equal footing with currently defined ‘human rights’. Such a policy would sharpen Labour’s plans and empower citizens, writes Stuart Weir.
The Magna Carta 2015 conference in Cambridge this weekend will provide the last chance to buy the book on openDemocracy's 2009 "Convention on Modern Liberty".
Today’s parallel with feudal 1215 is the absolute dominance of a “collective monarchy”, combining the power not merely of the Westminster state but also of the corporate and financial institutions and their elites.
Causing uproar amongst the Coalition, the likelihood of a UN investigation is not only deeply shameful, but a testament to the rapid regression of disabled rights and quality of life that the government has overseen.
Dissenters to the dystopic state of Britain, like David Marquand and Michael Meacher MP, set out the inequalities and economic policies than disfigure British society and propose overlapping remedies. Given the power of the institutions ranged against us, can we—and they—possibly prevail?
