The United Nations Human Rights Council decide that our monarchy is a pressing international human rights issue

With so many human rights abuses around the world, the United Nations Human Rights Council should be busy reporting on issues of enforced starvation, executions of people for their lifestyle choices and the denial of the vote to huge numbers of people around the world.  Instead, they have turned their attention to Great Britain, and issued a report claiming we need a referendum on the Monarchy and a the idea of a written constitution.

In return for the £69 million British taxpayers send to the United Nations every year, we should be able to expect that humanitarian crises in Zimbabwe, Sudan, North Korea, Iran and Somalia leave little time for interfering in our own constitutional affairs.  Many members of the commission – such as China, Saudi Arabia and Cuba – should pay a little more attention to their own human rights record.  Unfortunately, the United Nations Human Rights Council thinks these issues aren’t quite pressing enough to preclude meddling in an advanced democracy with a globally admired way of settling constitutional issues. Next time the United Nations comes begging for more support we should remember this insulting waste of money.

Comments

[dave]

You're right, this is a waste of money, but not as big a waste of money to the taxpayer as supporting a bunch of unelected upper class twits to the tune of millions of pounds a year. Lets save the taxpayer money across the board, starting at the top.
Referendum now!

[QuestionThat]

Considering the casual diregard with which our Government apparently views our civil liberties, a written constitution sounds good to me.

Couldn't give a toss one way or the other about the Monarchy.

[Michael]

Actually, as the income from the Crown Estates is paid directly to the Treasury and some of this is then handed back in the form of the Civil List we have a Head of State that actually runs at a profit. Better than any alternative and vastly cheaper too!

[Ben Stevenson]

I think the our own Government was mostly responsible for a report to the UN Human Rights Council on human rights in the UK. This was followed by comments from various countries. For example, the USA brought up prison overcrowding, Sweden brought up detention without trial, and Sri Lanka (not the UN Human Rights Council as a whole) suggested a republican written constitution.

http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/G08/112/65/PDF/G0811265.pdf

http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session1/GB/A_HRC_8_25_United_Kingdom_E.pdf

[Matthew]

What's even more insulting about this is that constitutional government was a British institution in the first place. We Americans got the idea from Britain (and many sincere thanks for that). I say give the UN Human Rights Council with a copy of Magna Carta and tell them "enough said." Perhaps then they could spend their time dealing with real human rights issues in Zimbabwe, Burma, the PRC, Cuba, etc.

[Carney]

Seems to me they could start with the Saudi monarchy and "constitution" (read: Sharia) if they were really worried about priorities.

[Ed]

Hi. Um, do you think, before you alter our constitutions, you might ask us? Some of us think old Liz is actually quite nice. Thank you.

Signed
- Canada
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Barbados
- Falkland Islands
- etc...
- etc...
- etc...

[David]

H. G. Wells would be pleased.

[Tom]

As Sadly, No has correctly pointed out, this is merely a proposal from Sri Lanka, not a proposal from the UN Council as a whole.

In other words, you are an idiot.

[Zuzu]

Tom -

You didn't actually expect this guy to READ the report, did you?

Quite a giggle-worthy oversight, though.

[Zuzu]

Tom -

You didn't actually expect this guy to READ the report, did you?

Quite a giggle-worthy oversight, though.

[Anne Palmer]

Try that and you might just start a revolution once more in the United Kingdom. Do we really want to change our Monarchy for the kind of Government we have at the moment? Be loyal to the likes of THEM, or loyalty to such an undemocratice European Union? Actually the antics of that Union and its orders to continue ratifying what is now an invalid defunct Treaty and obeyed so very meekly by alleged LEADERS of our Great Country, has done more harm to the European Project than any rejection of the Treay Ireland has done.

I have always said Magna Carta was best left lying quietly. Try doing away with our Monarchy and it will be given an airing once more. Magna carta was once used against an overbearing King, it can easily be used against an undemocratic Government that ignores the people that voted for them and breaks promises made to them. Remember, we have no option, we HAVE to defend our Monarchy and our Country for our oath of allegiance is to our Crown-to protect them at all times.

One of Sir Edward Coke's greatest contributions to the law was to interpret Magna Carta to apply not only to the protection of nobles but also to all subjects of the crown equally, which effectively established the law as a guarantor of rights among all subjects against even Parliament and the King. He famously asserted: "Magna Carta is such a fellow, that he will have no sovereign. "END of Quote.

[Howie Copywriter]

Unwritten constitution and a Queen, mean in effect, no constitution, and government by a financial oligarchy, grouped around the Queen as a symbol. That means the UN Human Rights group are right. More at larouchepac.com

[Johnbluk]

Written constitution? ....who said that?

now what a good idea!

when will it be ready? ....can I get it in pdf format?

...in the meantime, I won't hold my breath.

Just imagine how much EU bureaucratic nonsense can be quashed with one swoop of a UK constitution? Just wave it in the air, and its enough to send hair brained schemes scurrying back to their corresponding airhead masters.

As for the Magna Carta, well its strange how the U.S have embraced it, built their constitution with it, and even celebrate its creation, whilst the UK has selected to ignore it completely??
Over here we don't even value the odd antiquated and original copies that pop up occasionally at auctions. Lucky there are plenty of U.S buyers on hand. Perhaps we can the U.S to write us a constitution of human and citizen's rights?

[Mark]

Surely the Human Rights Act proves that if you try to codify widely held beliefs the ability to interpret the law is lost. As for becoming a republic, would anybody be happier rallying around Gordon Brown? The Royal Family have served this country as requested for centuries and are one of the few real cultural icons we have left. Are we willing to give up our national identity for a saving of a few million?