TORY class war legislation to be brought in for use against the working class over the coming year was unveiled in the Queen’s Speech yesterday.
She confirmed that Health Secretary Hunt’s dictatorial planned August imposition of the unsafe, unfair and illegal contract on junior doctors is to continue, saying: ‘My government will continue working to deliver NHS services over seven days of the week in England.’
She went straight on to announce new charges for NHS care, saying: ‘Legislation will be introduced to ensure that overseas visitors pay for the health treatment they receive at public expense.’
Prison reform has been billed as the centrepiece of the Speech, with prisons and prisoners to be seen as money-making opportunities. My government will legislate to reform prisons and courts, to give individuals a second chance,’ she said.
‘Prison governors will be given unprecedented freedom and they will be able to ensure prisoners receive better education. Old and inefficient prisons will be closed and new institutions built where prisoners can be put more effectively to work.’
HMP Wandsworth is among six prisons where governors will be given the new powers over budgets and setting the daily regime, while satellite tracking tags will be piloted in eight police areas from September in a move which could see prisoners become ‘weekend inmates’ and spending the rest of the week at home while also going to work.
New private universities are to be encouraged: ‘Legislation will be introduced to support the establishment of new universities and to promote choice and competition across the higher education sector,’ said the Queen. Moving on to flag up new police state measures to suppress opposition and drive workers and youth into cheap and forced labour, the Queen said: ‘Legislation will be introduced to prevent radicalisation, tackle extremism in all its forms and promote community integration. National Citizen Service will be placed on a permanent, statutory footing.’
Ibrahim Mohamoud, the CAGE Islamic rights group Communications Officer, responded to the Speech, saying: ‘For many, this will be seen as an extension of the PREVENT Strategy, exacerbating the chilling effect on open debate, free speech and political dissent.
‘The government needs to learn from the criticisms levelled against the PREVENT policy and rather adopt an approach that is based on dialogue and openness. ‘Proposals on removing “extremist” material and giving those powers to Ofcom to enforce on broadcasters is a further encroachment and erosion of balance and press independence.
‘Curtailing someone’s ability to express their Freedom of Speech, should happen when incitement and calls to harm others are made. Anything which seeks to redraw that long-established consensus will inevitably be seen for what it is – a baseless power grab by the Government for its own political purposes.
‘British society has been based around cultural institutions, rather than attempts to impose British “values”. Governments should not be in the business of passing laws against people and groups who express opinions they disagree with.’
