tomorrow the policing bill goes back to the commons. after almost a year of resistance to the bill on the streets and inside both the commons and the lords, this is the final stage before it becomes law. here’s what to look out for and what’s at stake…7:36 PM · Feb 27, 2022·Twitter Web App98 Retweets5 Quote Tweets405 LikesTweet your reply
ReplyBen Smoke@bencsmoke·Replying to @bencsmokeback in january you may remember mammoth sitting in the lords in which govt suffered historic defeat to amendments it had attempted to sneak into the bill after it passed commons. those amendments (which inc. protest stop + search + more) were voted down + cant be reintroduced.1222Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·mps will decide on amendments lords made to the bill. where part 3 (protest) is concerned these are: removing noise restrictions on protest removing criminalisation of single person protest amending offence of wilful obstruction of highway to only include strategic road network1315Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·government will seek to reintroduce the above, all of which are pernicious threat to protest in this country. particularly look out for those tory mps who’ve spent the last few days praising anti-war protestors in russia who will tomorrow vote to criminalise similar protest here.1931Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·elsewhere in parts 2 and 10 of the bill, the lords passed the creation of a new serious violence duty (based on prevent) and serious violence reduction orders, but with dulling amendments. on serious violence duty lords added amendment to exclude confidential patient info1111Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·on svro’s lords added stipulation for robust pilot + further parliamentary vote before rollout. MPs could accept these but its assumed govt (with its massive majority) will whip to vote down amendments.119Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·back in december, an amendment designed to protect gypsy, roma and traveller way of life to counter the devastating provisions elsewhere in the bill was tied in the lords (171-171) so did not pass. the only way mps can now thwart those provisions is to vote down the whole bill.1714Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·lords also included an amendement which would repeal the vagrancy act (1824) which is used to criminalise rough sleeping and begging. mps will get to uphold or strike down that amendment.2212Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·gonna level with you- it’s unlikely the (fairly meagre) amendments from the lords will pass in the commons. we have to, as we should have been for a while now, understand that the majority of this will become law, and will be enforced against our communities soon. we must resist.1218Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·what does that resistance look like? well! for the last couple of months i’ve been chatting with activists across the country to figure out where they’re are and what they’re planning. more on that coming this week!1214Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·elsewhere this week, the IPCC report is released tomorrow (at 11am). i’mma be up late tonight zooming through it so i can try and break down the key bits for you over on @HUCKmagazine as soon as the embargo lifts!1110Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·i should also say, big h/t and ty to @libertyhq for all their hope in helping report on this legislation over the last year – make sure to give them a follow and keep an eye on their feed for stuff about the bill (and other stuff!) tomorrow and onwards!1110Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·*all their help in reporting it’s been a long day lmao23Ben Smoke@bencsmoke·an update on the vagrancy act:Quote Tweet
Jodie@jodietbeck · 1hReplying to @bencsmokesomething positive is that the Vagrancy Act amendment was accepted by the Gov last week so it isn’t going to be debated – only caveat is that the Gov have said there will be a “commencement period” during which they may try to introduce some Vagrancy Act provisions in a new Bill
