# HMG launches "Your Freedom": Suggest a crappy law, they'll think about repealing it **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 1, 2010, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177 "2010-07-01T11:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/1 "2010-07-01T11:14:12Z")
[Clicky](http://yourfreedom.hmg.gov.uk/). Britons: good or bad idea? My opinion is this could either be a complete disaster, or an amazing success. I like the sentiment, though. Anybody got any laws in mind they’d like scrapped? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 11:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/2 "2010-07-01T11:19:08Z")
I have my doubts it will work well; even the best laws have people who want to get rid of them. In fact, they pretty much have to have such people, or there’s no point to them. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/3 "2010-07-01T11:28:03Z")
So far, it seems to be working better than the US Republican “America Speaking Out” boondoggle (perhaps because of its tighter focus). ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/4 "2010-07-01T11:49:34Z")
Heres a list 1. The Dangerous Dogs Act 2. The Bad Character proviosns of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 3. Section 41 of the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 4. The Human Rights Act 1998; sections 3 and 4 ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2010, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/5 "2010-07-01T11:58:39Z")
Care to give a summary of why those should be repealed, especially the more obscure ones? What’s contained in Section 3 and 4? The site seems to be crushed by popularity at the moment. I’m getting 503 errors continuously. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/6 "2010-07-02T11:07:19Z")
1. Dangerous Dogs Act, illthought out and passed after a media storm 2. Allows the prosecution to lead evidence of previous convictions of the accused, essentially making the whole trial about the accused’s character as opposed to actual guilt or ommission. 3. Forbids previous sexual history of the complainaints from being led without giving discretion to the judge, meaning that often times very relevent evidence is never brought in fron of a jury. 4. Makes the courts interpret everything “as much as possible” in line with the Euro Convention of Human Rights, which leads to often covulsed and contorted interpretations, l.ike for instance for Section 41 YJCEQ (above). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/7 "2010-07-02T11:21:05Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > 1. Allows the prosecution to lead evidence of previous convictions of the accused, essentially making the whole trial about the accused’s character as opposed to actual guilt or ommission. > > 2. Forbids previous sexual history of the complainaints from being led without giving discretion to the judge, meaning that often times very relevent evidence is never brought in fron of a jury. I may be reading you wrong (if I am my apologies) but I get the sense you do not approve of these. Yet to do so seems at odds with yourself. In #2 you do not want previous history brought up and in #3 you are upset previous history is not brought up. Personally I have never understood the prohibition on noting a defendant’s previous criminal record being shown in court. Well, I kind of understand it. I realize that you are on trial for a specific crime and that you committed a crime previously has no bearing…in theory. Yet I think it does have bearing. I should be able to show that I have been a law abiding citizen my whole life and that the crime I am accused of is wholly out of character. Conversely, why is it wrong to show that the defendant has committed various crimes previously and that it is entirely within his/her character to have committed the crime they are accused of? That may be a hijack which is not my intent…still befuddles me. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/8 "2010-07-02T13:14:56Z")
What or who is “HMG”? ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/9 "2010-07-02T13:18:15Z")
The UK Government. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2010, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/10 "2010-07-02T13:21:35Z")
Her Majesty’s Government ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2010, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/11 "2010-10-12T15:45:13Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > > [@AK84](#): > > > > 1. Allows the prosecution to lead evidence of previous convictions of the accused, essentially making the whole trial about the accused’s character as opposed to actual guilt or ommission. > > > > 2. Forbids previous sexual history of the complainaints from being led without giving discretion to the judge, meaning that often times very relevent evidence is never brought in fron of a jury. > > I may be reading you wrong (if I am my apologies) but I get the sense you do not approve of these. > > Yet to do so seems at odds with yourself. > > In #2 you do not want previous history brought up and in #3 you are upset previous history is not brought up. > > Personally I have never understood the prohibition on noting a defendant’s previous criminal record being shown in court. Well, I kind of understand it. I realize that you are on trial for a specific crime and that you committed a crime previously has no bearing…in theory. > > Yet I think it does have bearing. I should be able to show that I have been a law abiding citizen my whole life and that the crime I am accused of is wholly out of character. Conversely, why is it wrong to show that the defendant has committed various crimes previously and that it is entirely within his/her character to have committed the crime they are accused of? > > That may be a hijack which is not my intent…still befuddles me. Many many appo logies, completely forgot about this. In case of no 2, a trial is not about whether the accused in a bad persons or of bad character it is to show that he actually committed the crime alleged on the indictment. If previous history is brought up then it ceases to be the prosecutions job to prove the charge rather the accused ends up having to show that he did not do it this time. You can incidentally lead evidence that you have no previous convictions that rule is of many years standing. As 3, I say let the judge have a discretion, in certain circumstances previous history of the complainant , with the accused is defiantly relevant to consent, especially as a rebuttal, should be allowed. Less true with respect to third partie but on occassion, relevant. As for ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/12 "2010-10-14T01:30:21Z")
Must’ve run afoul of the Post Limiting Act, wot? ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2010, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hmg-launches-your-freedom-suggest-a-crappy-law-theyll-think-about-repealing-it/545177/13 "2010-10-14T07:43:37Z")
Here’s a genuine update: the site has closed.