Baker: ”Parliament must take back control of Covid law

Today Steve Baker, MP, writes a än excellent article in The Telegraph.

Baker says; ”To prevent harm, liberty is routinely constrained. Even great heroes of liberal thought such as Friedrich Hayek teach that fundamental liberties can be suspended to preserve freedom in the long run. So I acquiesced in the fast passage of the Coronavirus Act in the grave situation of the time. Ministers evidently required broad powers to respond swiftly and efficiently to the reasonable worst case scenario we faced” -//-

”Covid-19 remains a dangerous disease for those vulnerable to it but it is now clear the position is not as catastrophic as feared. It is no longer appropriate to curtail our freedoms by ministerial decree with only retrospective approval by Parliament, often after rules have been amended or repealed. Doubtless ministers have acted in good faith, but today’s is not a fit legal environment for a democratic and free society. Parliament must take back control” -//-

In the article Baker also quote our recent GENN report regarding a re-start of the economy through Prosperity Zones and Trade Superhighways:

”We must now unleash the private sector to grow. In a report by GENN released last week, Shanker Singham, Lars Karlsson and Daniel Gottschald argue Governments have a clear choice: to pull up their drawbridges, interfere in markets and pursue protectionist policies for passing short-term headlines”.

Or they can focus instead on the bigger prize – long-term economic resilience and good governance so businesses can flourish: embracing free trade, maintaining competitive markets, strengthening property rights and rejecting isolationism, interventionism and protectionism. The UK, and all good governments, must take the free market path if we are to have any chance of securing our future”.

You can read the article here: Parliament must take back control of Covid laws

Source: TheTelgraph