
A year ago, the idea that you could close every restaurant, café and pub in the capital without a Parliamentary vote or even a debate would have been unthinkable. Today we have allowed government by executive decree and it now seems normal. Covid lawmaking has corroded democracy

BUT...
(2) Changes to tiered areas are not considered major changes so these don't go to a vote until 28 days later by which time it has usually changed.
(1) Hardly any votes/debates
(2) Debates so rushed and have no prospect of amendment that they become toothless
(3) Government deciding whether a change is "major" so even the anaemic scrutiny available is rare.
More from Adam Wagner
1/
The UK has signed up to the International Health Regulations (IHA) 2005. These therefore create binding international legal obligations on the UK.
The IHA explicitly prevent charging for travellers' quarantine or medical examinations.
https://t.co/n4oWE8x5Vg /2

International law is not actionable in a UK court unless it has been implemented in law.
But it can be used as an aide to interpretation where a statute isn't clear as to what powers it grants.
See e.g. Lord Bingham in A v SSHD https://t.co/RXmib1qGYD
/3

The Quarantine regulations will, I assume, be made under section 45B of the Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1984
https://t.co/54L4lHGMEr
/4

That gives pretty broad powers but I can't see any power to charge for quarantine. Perhaps it will be inferred from somewhere else in Part 2A?
But...
The Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (No. 3) and (All Tiers) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2021
https://t.co/L5jwlTDaIE
(Thread)

These are not a new set of regulations: they are amendments an old set of regulations
Which we thought were gone! But they are back
Welcome back No.3 regulations
A quick thing before we continue!
I have been analysing these laws for free for 9 months now - if you want to say thanks and have a few £ to spare please give to my @LawCentres fundraiser
They give free legal advice to people who need it
They also amend the All Tiers regulations
Oh god it's all amendments by paragraph references
Basically all of England now in Tier 4 and Tier 4 is amended but not by a huge amount
This really is a terrible way to make laws on the fly - who can possibly understand it?!

So, to explain, you need 2 documents open if you want to understand what is going on:
All Tiers regulations (Tiers 1-4, 2 December as amended) https://t.co/IraPQ112ak
And amendments https://t.co/L5jwlTDaIE
No sensible way of doing except by track changes, on it now, back soon
More from Politics
Imagine, for a moment, the reaction of the UK Government, Brexiters, and the RW UK press if Juncker, Tusk, Macron or Merkel went on TV to say that Brexit was worth it to stop Freedom of Movement for UK citizens, and to stop Brits being able to come to the EU and jump the queue.
— Steve Bullock (@GuitarMoog) November 20, 2018
2/ Imagine if the EU said finally all those retired Brits in the EU27 could go home
3/ Imagine if the EU said finally all those Brits in the EU could stop driving down wages, taking jobs and stop sending benefits back to the UK
4/ Imagine if the EU said it was looking to use UK citizens as “bargaining chips” to get a better trade deal
5/ Imagine if the EU told UK citizens in the EU27 that they could no longer rely on established legal rights and they would have to apply for a new status which they have to pay for for less rights
https://t.co/vsTrS43Fft

#OTD 73 years ago, CIA was born after President Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947.
— CIA (@CIA) September 18, 2020
\xa0
Separated into five directorates, the Agency collects, analyze and disseminates intelligence to top U.S. officials.
\xa0
Learn more about today's #CIA: https://t.co/diMVOoC3jT pic.twitter.com/ljoTxBYbAc
https://t.co/rUTYg42PYH
War is being pushed upon us by 'news'
— Maria \u23f3 (@ml_1maria) April 21, 2018
Journalists are bribed to write pro-American and anti-Russian
Bribed to lie, betray, manipulate & push for war #CIA #propaganda
Dr Udo Ulfkottehttps://t.co/MsPh5vOwTW pic.twitter.com/Z5GVEzSKBd
https://t.co/1r0MbPv8wG
Former CIA agent and whistleblower Phillip Agee explains that the USA wages economic war against socialists nations because it is threatened by a successful example of an alternative economic system. 1/ pic.twitter.com/NUpdpxnYgw
— \U0001d482\U0001d48d\U0001d48a\U0001d484\U0001d48a\U0001d482 (@alicia_dl_1) July 23, 2020
War on democracy - installing US-puppet dictators in Latin America in order to control their economies
#Guatemala #Arbenz #RedScare
Propaganda, "harmless bombing" and a CIA terror campaign

CIA war on Nicaragua
CIA operation in Nicaragua
— Maria \u23f3 (@ml_1maria) July 19, 2020
Destabilisation program: rip apart the social and economic fabric - make the people suffer as much as you can, until the country plunges into chaos, until at some point you can step in and impose your choice of government on that country. pic.twitter.com/dlxoMZX6xw