Reform Section 5: abolishing the new inquisition?

nick cowen, 17 May 2012

Yesterday saw the launch of Reform Section 5, a new civil liberties campaign that aims to reform the Public Order Act so that it no longer has a chilling effect on free speech and debate in the UK. What was particularly laudable was its broad base of support, featuring both the Christian Institute and the National Secular Society. These two groups might rarely agree on policies, but have come together because of their shared interest in protecting robust public debate. Section 5 of the Public Order Act isn’t the only legislative threat to free speech in the UK but it has been one of the most misused laws in public spaces in recent years. Reforming the law to reduce its scope could also free police time to detect and sanction property and violent crime instead.

Free speech is a core component of civil society and Civitas has published a number of reports defending this pre-requisite to liberal democracy: most recently, A New Inquisition by Jon Gower Davies. It was favourably reviewed by both christians and secularists when it was released in 2010. It is available in print and on Kindle.