What is the British equivalent to our 1st Amendment?

They do have the right of assembly, speech and something akin to our right to petition our grievances right? My history fails me on this one. is the Magna Carta? Is it a even document at all?

On other boards I've seen some liberals/progressive and avowed Bush Haters say that the other countries should not be protesting OUR president:

Example: "Bush is a underperforming lying sniveling little conservative who, by all accounts was illegitimately elected under dubious circumstances... however, like it or not he is still president here and I resent overseas protestors bashing him in the way that I have outlined above. Only we (Americans) are allowed to bash him. Everyone else is not."

I say bullshit to this He has proven to be a menace and destablizing force to the world. Whatever grants other countries citizens the right to protest, it is complety legitimate and valid to protest *.

more tradition...along the lines of common law

It's called the Magna Carta. In 1215 the barons, tired of king jon's tyranny, forced him to sign the great charter (magna carta) guaranteeing the citizenry of rights and liberty, and limiting the powers of the monarch. The Magna Carta is the model for our constitution.


Clearly our monarch in the white house never took a course on English history, and our king George doesn't seem to know the US has a constitution.

Don't forget the English Bill of Rights 1689.

I don't think the magna carta grants the common man much of anything... least of all freedom of speech. It was drawn up in 1200's so I doubt such a concept existed.

The Magna Carta protected the rights of the Nobility, not that of ordinary citizens. It is is important because it put the rule of law above the whim of the Monarch and started the transfer of power away from the King.

The Magna Carta is mostly about property rights. Granted, property rights are the basis for the entire system of English Common Law. But to say that it is the model for the Constitution is false.

there is no constitution, per se, only laws passed by parliament and tradition. but tradition is actually a legal instrument. Technically, though, Parliament could pass a law tommorow requiring everyone to shave their heads, and it would be legal.

"there is no constitution, per se,"

We're a Constitutional Monarchy, there's a constitution but it's unwritten (no single document like the US one).

If they weren't allowed to protest, Bush would have to go into their countries to liberate them because they don't have the opportunity of free speech. /end sarcasm

Anyhow, I feel EVERY country should be able to protest against any president. That is like saying we here in the United States could not protest when Jiang Zemin came to New York during the Clinton administration. It is foolish logic.

They just don't have a constitutional right to do so.

Yes we do, I believe article 11 of the European convention on human rights protects the freedom of assembly. Article 10 protects freedom of expression.

I was just thinking England only.

Other countries either feel threatened by Bush or view his presidency as a threat to world stability, so they have every ight and reason to protest his policies.

That's where the real danger in protesting in Britain is.

Historically in Britain, everything has been legal unless specifically prohibited by law. That changed when the UK government signed up to the European convention on human rights (can't remember when) and not, as some think, when the convention was incorporated into UK law a few years ago. Prior to that, British citizens were in possession of the same rights, but they had to take their pleas to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Magna Carta was not, as many think, an early English constitution, but rather a statute of limitations on the monarch, including basic rights such as habeas corpus. It was drawn up because of the abuses of King John in the early 13th century.

Edit: corrected grammar.

Too bad I missed that thread.

So only Germans were allowed to bash Hitler? We were to keep quiet about the likes of Idi Amin?

oh well, I'm sure its all been said.

:thumbsup: