Government pledges to create “culture of respect”

The government has promised to get tough on crime as the Labour party begins its historic third term in government.

The Queen unveiled the government’s new agenda in a speech prepared for her by Downing Street, announcing plans for 45 bills which will be debated between now and November 2006.

However, several proposals have already begun to cause controversy.

The main topic on the agenda was the creation of a “culture of respect” and a pledge to “improve community safety and protect national security”. The proposals include a Violent Crime Bill, which would include tougher laws on the sale of replica firearms and knives, as well as granting the police more powers to tackle alcohol-related violence.

There are also plans to tighten the immigration and asylum system and introduce legislation outlawing incitement to religious hatred.

Plans to introduce ID cards are also firmly on the government’s agenda – a subject that is almost certain to cause controversy and a proposal, which is strongly opposed by the Liberal Democrats. A draft counter-terrorism bill is also widely expected to cause further controversy.

Shami Chakrabarti, Director of civil rights group Liberty criticised the proposals, saying: “More tough talk and bad law in a Queen’s speech revealing a chronic lack of respect for our democratic traditions. No positive vision of society was ever built upon compulsory identity cards and ever-broader criminal offences.”

A new Health Improvement and Protection Bill, which would outlaw smoking in a “vast majority” of enclosed public spaces and workplaces, as well as a new hygiene code to tackle infections such as MRSA have met with criticism from the British Medical Association (BMA). BMA chairman, James Johnson, said a failure to make all workplaces smoke-free would leave thousands of people still exposed to second-hand smoke. He said: “BMA research suggests the government has underestimated the number of pubs that will be exempt from the ban and many councils say that the plans in their current form will be unworkable. Only a total ban in all enclosed public places will be truly effective.”

Mr Johnson also said that proposals to tackle hospital hygiene were “scanty on the detail of concrete measures to reduce healthcare associated infections”.

During the speech, the Queen emphasised that education remained the government’s “top priority” and unveiled a series of measures in an Education Bill, which included plans to offer greater independence to successful schools and colleges and offer primary schools the chance to become foundation schools.

Other measures introduced in the Queen’s speech include: a draft Pensions Bill, which will follow the outcome of the Turner Review later in the year; legal aid reform; a Consumer Credit card Bill to help protect against identity fraud; a road safety Bill; and legislation to clear the way for a referendum on the EU Constitutional Treaty.

The Liberal Democrats have accused Labour of “rehashing the same old policies. Party chairman Matthew Taylor said: “The government are talking a lot about respect, but by re-hashing the same old policies, Labour are giving no respect to the electorate. These are the same old policies from the same old spin doctors, with nothing to address the real issue hitting families like high council tax bills, overcrowded schools or poverty in old age.”

Conservative leader Michael Howard said that the new Parliamentary programme seemed more like “fizzy rhetoric” than firm action. However, he welcomed government commitments such as immigration controls and introducing better hospital hygiene – which had also been Conservative election pledges – and said: "In looking at the Government's programme, our position is clear: where the Government does the right thing, we will support them. If the Prime Minister means what he says - if he takes a stand on the things that matter, and sends a clear message to his backbenchers - we'll support him."

(KMcA/GB)