What would you keep?

A propos of my earlier post on what recent legislation we should try to repeal in order to reclaim our lost civil liberties, I was struck by the thought that it might be easier to simply repeal every piece of legislation introduced since 1997.

Off the top of my head I can think of nothing Messrs Blair and Brown have done that is worthy of retention. Have I missed something or shall we ditch the lot?

Comments

[IanH]

How can you forget this classic http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts1997/ukpga_19970066_en_1 you philistine, a classic if ever there was one. Can't think of any others I have to admit

[TDK]

Bit random 1997. I choose 1910.

[peter horne]

OK. Apart from the plant thingy obviously.

[Paul]

I don't think the former countries of the British Empire would be happy with that - we'd still consider ourselves to be ruling India and Ireland for starters.

[Rajan R]

I don't know - I am rather fond of the Good Friday Accords. And Scottish and Welsh devolution. And small matters such as equalising the age of consent for homosexuals with heterosexuals and domestic partnerships.

[Bishop Hill]

Paul

I'm not sure I follow you.

Rajan

Good Friday accords aren't legislation I think. I've no objection to keeping the others though.

[Obnoxio The Clown]

@Rajan R, Bollocks to that. Bin the lot. If they accidentally managed to slip in something useful, then I can assure you that it was badly drafted and open to all sorts of misinterpretation. I'd bin the lot and redraft the handful that are actually useful correctly.

[Zorro]

Bang on - what Bishop and Obnoxio said.

Sure David Blunket had a mad moment and moved cannabis in the right direction, but that stupid bint Smith and her Brown gorgon have already undone that haven't they?

No, nothing worthwhile at all has come out of this shower, undo the whole frigging lot.

Where do you live Rajan? I presume you are in Wales or Scotland? Because otherwise there is no reason at all for you to think devolution was a good thing. England has been well and truly left out hasn't it?? And as the part of the UK which (a) contains 90% of the population and (b) produces most of the wealth, that's hardly fucking fair now is it?

Actually I should clarify. I don't have a problem with devolution, I just think the job should be properly fucking finished...

[Roger Thornhill]

BH - absolutely. Everything since 1997. If bits need to be retained, they need to be resubmitted. It would take far too long to go through everything.

[Marcus]

Alas, nothing of the sort is going to happen. But a good way forward would be for every new piece of legislation to have a mandatory sunset clause. After, say, eight years it annulls itself unless, upon fresh consideration, it is considered to have been useful.