📞 Lobbying
Writing to MPs, briefing them before debates and giving evidence to Parliament, so that new laws protected rights.
Changes in Opportunity and Culture, 1986-2010 » The Drive for Equal Rights and the National Council for Civil Liberties
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Section B, Breadth study B8, Key topic 5
- What the National Council for Civil Liberties (Liberty) was and how it campaigned
- The methods Liberty used to push for equal rights
- Why the Human Rights Act (1998) was passed and what it did
- How to judge the impact of pressure groups and laws
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Unlock This CourseWho spoke up for everyone's rights?
Many campaigns in this topic are about one group, such as women, disabled people or ethnic minorities. Some organisations fought for the rights of everyone. The most important was the National Council for Civil Liberties (NCCL). It was formed in 1934 by a journalist, Ronald Kidd, who was worried about police powers and the rights of people who took part in protests. In 1989 it changed its name to Liberty, which is still how it is known today.
Key terms:
- Civil liberties: basic freedoms, such as freedom of speech, the right to protest and the right to a fair trial.
- Human rights: rights that belong to every person, whoever they are.
- Lobbying: trying to persuade MPs and ministers to support a change in the law.
- Test case: a court case chosen to show that a rule or law is unfair, so it can be challenged or changed.
How the NCCL and Liberty campaigned
Liberty did not belong to one group of people, so it took up unfairness wherever it found it. Over the years it spoke up on police powers, the right to protest, race, sex, disability and sexuality. In the 1970s, when Patricia Hewitt was its general secretary (1974-83), it criticised laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act (1974) for giving the police too much power. After 1989, as Liberty, it kept up the same work.
⚖ Legal help
Advising people whose rights had been ignored and backing test cases in the courts.
📰 Publicity
Publishing reports and speaking to the press, so the public heard about unfairness that was often hidden.
This mix of methods made Liberty different from a protest like the Bristol Bus Boycott. It rarely marched or went on strike. Instead it worked inside the system, using the law and the media.
Its impact was real but hard to measure. A law usually had many causes, and Liberty was one voice among many. Its most lasting influence came in the 1990s, when it joined others in campaigning for rights to be protected by law in Britain.
The Human Rights Act (1998)
After the Second World War, European countries wrote the European Convention on Human Rights (1950). It lists rights such as the right to life, freedom from torture, the right to a fair trial and freedom of expression. Britain signed it, but for decades a person whose rights had been broken had to take their case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, in France. That could take years and cost a great deal.
📢 Why was it passed?
Campaigners, including Liberty and the group Charter 88 (founded 1988), wanted rights protected in Britain itself. The Labour Party promised this in its 1997 election manifesto and, after Tony Blair won, passed the Act in 1998.
✅ What did it do?
It brought the Convention rights into British law. From October 2000, people could go to a British court instead of Strasbourg, and public bodies such as the police and councils had to respect those rights.
Limits of the Act
The Act did not let judges cancel laws made by Parliament. If a judge decided a law broke Convention rights, they could issue a declaration of incompatibility. This told Parliament that the law needed changing, but it was for MPs to decide whether to act.
The Act supported equality because it gave everyone, whatever their race, sex, disability or sexuality, a legal way to challenge unfair treatment. Even so, it protected a short list of rights. It did not stop all discrimination, which is why other laws were still needed.
Common mistakes
- Saying Liberty was only for one group. It campaigned for civil liberties for everybody.
- Mixing up the 1950 Convention (a European agreement) with the 1998 Act (a British law).
- Saying the Act let judges overrule Parliament. They could only declare a law incompatible.
- Writing that Liberty passed laws. It lobbied and campaigned, but only Parliament makes law.
Exam-style question
This is a Paper 2, Section B type (b) question, worth 8 marks. Give two causes, each with specific evidence, and show how each one led to the outcome.
Explain TWO causes of the passing of the Human Rights Act in 1998. [8 marks]
Model answer
Cause 1: the problems of the Strasbourg system. Britain had signed the European Convention on Human Rights in 1950, but anyone who believed their rights had been broken had to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. This was slow and expensive. Campaigners argued that rights were meaningless if ordinary people could not afford to use them. This led to calls to bring the Convention into British law so that cases could be heard in British courts.
Cause 2: campaigning and a change of government. Liberty and Charter 88, which was founded in 1988, lobbied for rights to be protected in Britain. Their campaigning kept the issue in the public eye. Labour then promised to act in its 1997 election manifesto and, after Tony Blair won the election, it passed the Act in 1998. Without both the campaigners' pressure and a government willing to act, the Act might not have been passed. [8 marks]
Why this reaches the top level: both causes are explained with precise evidence and each is clearly linked to the outcome.
Exam tip
Start each paragraph with the cause, add a date or name, then write a sentence that begins "This led to...". One cause alone can score no more than 4 marks.