|
Selective Suppression and The Manufacture of Lies (SS Lies) In the general election held in October 1974 the National Front party stood in three constituencies. Members of an anti-fascist committee formed who were strongly opposed to the policies of the National Front who they considered to be deeply racist. During the course of the election campaign the committee members distributed pamphlets urging voters not to vote for the National Front candidates. As a result of this three respondents were charged with two criminal offences: under section 63 of the 1949 Representation of the People Act 1949 "with having incurred, without the written authorisation of an election agent the expense of issuing publications ‘with a view to promoting or procuring the election of a candidate". Also under section 95 of the same act "with having distributed for the like purpose printed documents not bearing on their face the name and address of the printer and publisher". In 1976 this case had reached the house of Lords and Mr Luft an anti-fascist campaigner was found guilty by five law lords and duly criminalized [DPP .v. Luft [1976] 2 ALL ER 569]. In 1992 shortly before the general election Mrs Phyllis Bowman and executive director of the Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child (SPUC) distributed 25,000 leaflets in Halifax outlining the views on abortion of the three main candidates. On September 28 at Southwark Crown Court at the age of 67 She was charged with the criminal offence: Under section 75 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 which made it a criminal offence "for an unauthorised person to incur expenses in excess of £5 sterling in issuing publications with a view to promoting or procuring the election of a candidate" The malicious prosecution was later struck down by the European Court of Human Rights [Times Law Report 23-Feb-98] by 14 votes to 6 as being in violation of Article 10 (right to freedom of expression). The court found that section 75 of the 1983 Act operated for all practical purposes as a total barrier to Mrs Bowman’s publishing information with a view to influencing the voters of Halifax in favour of an anti-abortion candidate. In 1997 shortly before the general election a group of pro-father campaigners distributed leaflets in three constituencies where MPs had been reported in the press as obstructing their ex husbands or partners from seeing their own children post separation or divorce. The leaflets contained such statements as "Children Need Both Parents" and "The Love of a Parent is Too Precious an Asset to Waste". On 5-Feb-98 at Ilkestone magistrates court Dr Robertson was charged with the criminal Offences: Under section 110 and section 169 of the Representation of the People Act 1983 which made it a criminal offence to distribute a printed document "for the purposes of promoting or procuring the election of a candidate at a parliamentary election a document that did not bear upon its face the name and address of the printer and publisher" The leaflet clearly had the group name and a telephone number printed at the bottom of the leaflet. Despite this and despite the ECHR ruling he was given a conditional discharge. When they said . They LIED! Grieve .v. Douglas-Home [1965 SLT 186] The unsuccessful Communist candidate presented a petition to have the election declared void on the ground of failure to comply with the requirements of section 63 of the RPA. Held, that the BBC broadcasts were not made with a view to promoting the election of the respondent but that the motive of the Corporation in arranging the broadcasts was the information of the public. TUC. Put a cross in the wrong Place and you can Kiss Employee Rights Goodbye Whoever You Vote For, Make Sure Employees Win. The Daily Mirror Special Voters Edition Ben Bradshaw
MP These people and organisations are ALL ESTABLISHMENT FIGURES The manufacture of Lies Betsy Stenko 1 in 4 |