Archive for the 'Action Alert' Category

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The status of professional engineers in the UK

Published on 26 March 2007 in Action Alert, Journal and Society. 3 Comments

There are several e-petitions on the Downing Street web site that call for greater status, in law, for professional engineers in the UK:

I broadly support all three and have signed them all.

Ironically my attention was drawn to them by an email from the Engineering Council, which actually argued the opposite. An extract from the email is re-produced below.

Among the many hundreds of e-petitions currently to be found on the 10 Downing Street web-site, there are two concerning the status of UK engineers. Both of these call for the epithet ‘engineer’ to become a title protected in law.

While it is true that such protection is afforded to titles like ‘ingenier’ that are used elsewhere in Europe, this is largely because they have a different, less general meaning than engineer. Hardly surprising then that in other English-speaking nations, like the USA and Australia, the situation is the same as in the UK. The word engineer has been in common use in this country for centuries and is widely understood to mean anyone whose work relates to engineering, particularly manufacture or maintenance. Consequently there is no prospect of the engineering profession gaining exclusive rights to the term and thus preventing others from using it.

Even if granting such rights were on the cards, it might be seen by many as undermining individual freedoms, the preservation of which is fundamental to common law in this country. Restricting access to professional practice could also be interpreted as anti-competitive.
Three titles that are of course protected – under ECUK’s Royal Charter – are those of Chartered Engineer, Incorporated Engineer and Engineering Technician. These can only be used by individuals who have satisfied all the requirements for professional registration. Any person falsely claiming to hold one of these awards is pursued through the civil courts.

Possibly one way of addressing the petitioners’ concerns would be to encourage more engineers to become professionally registered. In one of the petitions, the desire for legal status seems motivated by a belief that society lacks respect for engineers. If more qualified engineers and technicians were to gain the titles CEng, IEng and EngTech then the profession’s image would only be enhanced.

I have some sympathy for the argument that “engineering” has a broader meaning in the English language than in other European tongues. Nevertheless there is a serious problem here best summed up by Jon Jennings, the proposer of the first of the above petitions:

As a recently qualified Astronautics Engineer and with 8 years experience as a Robotics Engineer I am at a point where due to the lack of respect by the Government, the media in particular the BBC, and society as a whole, I feel there is little point staying in the UK. Car mechanics, Plumbers and Electricians are now commonly referred to as Engineers and Banks now regard Engineers as non/semi skilled.

And that’s actually a serious point. If we are to compete with the likes of China in a technology-driven age we need to maintain our excellence at the forefront of technological development. It isn’t going to happen when so many of the nation’s best graduates from top engineering schools feel they will be better off in the City. Legal recognition of the title might seem trivial but if job titles weren’t important to people’s self-esteem we would not be seeing the phenomenon of job-title inflation in today’s competitive labour market.

Besides, the broader meaning of the word “engineering” is actually the problem. It’s all very well saying that engineers should assert the fact that they are Chartered, Incorporated or whatever, but the average person in the street finds such prefixes meaningless. If it were not for the existing legal protection terms such as architect would have been devalued by job title inflation. If we are prepared to limit personal freedom in job titles for other professions then it should apply to engineering too.

So please, if you’re a British citizen, add your signature to the petitions.

URGENT: Another parliamentary vote on extradition and justice

Published on 3 November 2006 in Action Alert and Civil Liberties. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

At the Third Reading of the Police and Justice Bill a fortnight ago there was an opportunity for MPs to overturn aspects of Extradition Act 2003 and the USA-UK Extradition Treaty of the same year. Unfortunately MPs rejected these crucial amendments but the Lords have now sent the amendments back to the Commons. Consequently there will be another vote this coming Monday 6 November 2006.

So, time to act again. If you’ve forgotten why, please see my original post on the Third Reading to remind yourself why USA-UK extradition arrangements compromise justice for British citizens.

Here’s the email alert from the Free Babar Ahmed Campaign:

Dear Supporter,

Re: URGENT – MPs to vote again on Monday 6th November 2006

Thank you for taking out the time to contact your MP for the 24th October 2006 House of Commons’ Vote to change the existing UK-US extradition laws. As you may know, MPs rejected two crucial amendments to the Extradition Treaty when debating the Police and Justice Bill.

During the Commons’ debate on 24th October 2006, the New Labour Government, fearing a rebellion, promised MPs that they would further look into the forum amendments. As a result, 30 Labour MP’s abstained from voting.

However, on Wednesday 1st November 2006, the Bill returned to the House of Lords, who voted in support of the amendments.

The Police and Justice Bill will return to the House of Commons on MONDAY 6TH NOVEMBER 2006. The Government has failed to provide a solution to the forum issue as of yet.

We urgently need your help to contact your MP again by Monday 6th November 2006 12 noon to make sure they support the amendments and do not abstain from voting.

This will only take 10 minutes of your time and may be the last chance we have to challenge the law. If the vote is won, it will directly affect cases like Babar Ahmad, who is on the brink of being shipped to the U.S.

Please follow these steps:

1) Go to www.writetothem.com and find your MP by typing in your postcode. Write an email similar to the paragraph below (NOTE: cut and paste emails may be rejected so change a few words and include your full name and address in the body of the email to show that you are a genuine constituent)

“I am writing to you as your constituent to urge you to vote to support both amendments to the UK-US Extradition Act 2003 (prima facie evidence and forum) when the Police and Justice Bill returns to the Commons on Monday 6th November 2006. Although the vote for these amendments was lost in the House of Commons on 24th October 2006, the House of Lords has voted in support of them. The Government had promised to look into addressing the forum concerns raised by many MPs. However, these proposals are yet to be seen.

I would urge you to please make yourself available to vote on Monday 6th November 2006 to uphold the amendments put forward by the Lords, in particular forum amendments, and to encourage your fellow MPs to do the same. I hope that you will vote for the best interests of the British people you represent.”

2) Follow up the email with a phone call by Monday 6th November 2006, 12 noon.

Ring 020 7219 3000 (House of Commons Switchboard) and ask for your MP’s office.

· Give them your name and address.
· Tell the staff you have sent an email and would like your MP to back both amendments to the Extradition Act 2003 and would like them to cancel any prior engagements to make themselves available to vote on Monday 6th November 2006

Please pass this email on to all your contacts TODAY and circulate on mailing lists and forums so as many MP’s as possible are contacted by the morning of Monday 6th November 2006.

Thank you for your time and efforts

Yours sincerely

Free Babar Ahmad Campaign
2nd November 2006

www.freebabarahmad.com

As with last time, please use your initiative. Don’t simply cut and paste the standard text suggested above. Try to express your views in your own words. MPs are more responsive to genuine requests from their constituents than mass-duplicated mailings.

URGENT: Extradition Vote, Tue 24 October

Published on 18 October 2006 in Action Alert and Civil Liberties. 1 Comment

The Third Reading of the Police and Justice Bill will take place next Tuesday, 24 October in the House of Commons. This occasion will include the opportunity for MPs to vote on two amendments that aim to reduce some of the negative effects of the Extradition Act 2003. Please take a few minutes now to write to your MP to make sure they vote to safeguard our rights to liberty and justice.

A brief reminder of some of the problems with the UK-USA Extradition Treaty 2003:

  • British citizens can be extradited to the USA based on the US authorities simply stating their accusation. There is no requirement for them to produce evidence before a British court.
  • British citizens can be extradited to the USA for alleged crimes that took place anywhere in the world – even in the UK.
  • British citizens can be extradited to the USA for alleged offences against US law even when they took place in a jurisdiction where the alleged activity is legal.
  • The Treaty is asymmetric: American citizens can only be extradited to the UK for alleged offences committed here and the British authorities have to demonstrate ‘probable cause’.
  • Effectively this contracts out our justice system to the USA, giving them extra-territorial reach. It’s also retrospective.
  • A few other safeguards in the legal system are thrown out too…

Babar Ahmed remains in detention, awaiting a judgement on his appeal against extradition to the USA. His extradition case is one of the most high profile under the act and, in his case, the allegations all relate to activity he is alleged to have carried out in the UK.

The Free Babar Ahmed campaign sent out the lobby instructions below. Please act on them. (Although hopefully you could spend a few minutes writing your own letter rather than simply copying and pasting their suggested text – it really will make much more of an impression on your MP.)

Dear Supporter

We now have confirmation that the Commons will be voting on crucial amendments to the UK-US Extradition Treaty 2003 on TUESDAY 24TH OCTOBER 2006.

If the vote is won, this will directly affect cases of several British Citizens facing extradition to the U.S. (including that of Babar Ahmad).

Please follow the steps below and urgently contact your MP by Friday 20th October 2006 4pm to make sure they clear their diaries to attend the vote. MP’s from all parties need to be contacted, ESPECIALLY Labour MP’s.

This will take less than 10 minutes of your time.

STEP 1: Go to www.writetothem.com and paste the paragraph below in the box. You must include your name and postal address:

I am writing to you as your constituent to urge you to vote to support both amendments to the UK-US Extradition Act 2003 (prima facie evidence and forum) when the Police and Justice Bill returns to the Commons on 24th October 2006. I would urge you to please make yourself available to vote on that day to back both amendments and to encourage your fellow MP’s to do the same. I hope that you will vote to give British citizens the same rights as the U.S Government gives to its citzens.

STEP 2: Follow up the email with a phonecall by Friday 20th October.

  • Ring 020 7219 6967 (House of Commons Switchboard) and ask for your MP’s office.
  • Give them your name and address.
  • Tell the staff you have sent an email and would like your MP to back both amendments to the Extradition Act 2003 and would like them to cancel any prior engagements to make themselves available to vote on Tuesday 24th October 2006.

Please pass this email on to all your contacts TODAY and circulate on mailing lists and forums so as many MP’s as possible are contacted before the end of this week.

Thank you for your time and efforts

Yours sincerely

Free Babar Ahmad Campaign

Links: www.notoextradition.co.uk

PS: If you have received this email after Friday 20th October, please still follow the steps above as the vote will take place on Tuesday 24th October 2006

www.freebabarahmad.com

Please also keep any eye on the No To Extradition Campaign and Blog for updates.

UPDATE 18/10/2006: I forgot to mention the Early Day Motion from May, put forward by Boris Johnson MP, which calls on the government to amend the unfair extradition arrangements. Read the list of signatures on EDM 241 (Extradition Act 2003) to see if your MP was a signatory, and if so, remind them to put their vote where they mouth is.

Bulgaria allows hijab ban in schools

Published on 9 September 2006 in Action Alert, Islam and Society. 3 Comments Tags: , , , .

IHRC is reporting that Bulgaria has become the latest country to ban the rights of Muslim girls to wear the headscarf (“hijab”) to school. Worse, the country’s Education Minister has declared that Muslim girls who wish to wear the headscarf should attend separate Muslim schools, segregating them from their fellow citizens. Hot on the heels of bans in France, German and Belgium this looks like a worrying trend.

Many Muslim women believe it is a religious obligation to cover their hair in public. Whether right or wrong, this is not the issue. It doesn’t harm or cause any difficulty to anyone else and they should have the right to an education whilst remaining free to practice their religion. Please heed the IHRC’s call to write to your MP, MEP and the Foreign Secretary demanding representations be made to the government of Bulgaria (which is set to accede to the EU next year).

In other news… the Guardian reports that Muslim women face discrimination at the workplace, despite good academic performance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the wearing of headscarves had something to do with it.