The second-most senior leader in the Anglican Communion, the Archbishop of York has condemned Tony Blair’s government this week for proposing and passing excessive legislation, thereby leading to a degrading of the law as a by-product.
Rev Dr John Sentamu, who was officially brought into his new position in 2005, spoke out against the British government after being sworn in to the House of Lords. The outburst gave a clear indication that Dr Sentamu is looking to be an active member of Parliament’s Upper House.The Archbishop of York carries outstanding credentials to fill his role in the House of Lords, having a background as a lawyer and judge in Uganda.
Dr Sentamu said, “What I feel very strongly about is when you make a lot of laws all the time, one has to be extremely careful they are not made in haste.”
Looking to expose the flaw in Blair’s policies, Dr Sentamu called for a study to be made into how many laws had been passed since Labour was brought into government in nine years ago.
He said, “I think there have been too many. The more laws you pass, the greater the insecurity you create in society.”
“Laws are good because they show us how we need to be governed. But the more laws you have got, the more the law becomes debased,” said Dr Sentamu.One piece of legislature that the Archbishop highlighted for concern was the Terrorism Bill currently making its way through Parliament. The Bill was introduced after a ruling was made that detention without trial of foreign terror suspects breached the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Ugandan-born cleric said, “Nobody has proven that if you hold suspects longer you are more likely to get a confession. I remember the Dangerous Dogs Act. It was rushed in pretty fast. It soon became clear that although the intention was right, they should have taken longer over it.
“I certainly feel the country must protect itself against those who would destroy it. I am totally against violence. But we have got to get a much tighter definition of what terrorism is.”
The retired High Court Judge, Sir William MacPherson, who was responsible for the highly-publicised Stephen Lawrence inquiry, which highlighted institutional racism in the police, said that the Archbishop would “make a vast contribution to our national life. He will be particularly well qualified to deal with any matters concerning race and immigration. One of his main themes is that there is only one race — the human race.”
