17 March 2021 • 7:00pm
I hope no one from the Government reads this column. I’m worried it might annoy them. And as annoying them may soon be against the law, I’m not sure I fancy my chances.
Still, I’ll try to make my point as gently as I can. On Tuesday, the Commons voted in favour of a bill that will curtail the public’s right to protest. Police will be empowered to break up non-violent demonstrations on the grounds that they’re too noisy, or might cause “serious annoyance”. What exactly constitutes “serious annoyance”, I don’t know. But it could, potentially, get you up to 10 years in jail.