It was standing room only in the Winter Gardens' Theatre Bar at lunchtime today, as hundreds of delegates missed Osborne's speech and umpteen other fringe meetings to attend the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission event chaired by Stephen Crabb.
Simon Coveney, a senior spokesman for Fine Gael and a former author of the European Parliament's annual human rights reports, offered an inspiring vision of how the Conservative Party and Britain could take a lead in using its power to protect people around the world. He said the Party should use its influence to try to change bureaucratic international institutions so that they are more responsive to crises like Darfur, "the biggest scandal of our time". He also passionately challenged Conservatives to see how it is in our interest to invest in developing countries because it reduces the supply of immigrants in the long-term, but more importantly because it is the right thing to do.
William Hague has twice said in speeches that human rights should be "at the heart of our foreign policy" and there was no backtracking today when he spoke of the "deeply held belief of the primacy of human rights". He attacked the government's prevarification on Darfur and the UN Security Council's failure to take action. The audience clapped loudest when he expressed admiration for the bravery of the monks in Burma, and spoke gravely of the "full-scale humanitarian disaster" in Zimbabwe.
Activist Ben Rogers, well-known to readers of this site, vividly described the brutality of the Burmese regime. One of the recent incidents he recounted was of the junta roasting a number of prisoners over a fire, stabbing them in the sides, and then rubbing salt into their bodies. They died in agony. He went on to criticise the Foreign Office's "can't do" culture, shown earlier this year when the Pakistan desk meekly shrugged off the "convert or die" threat to 500 Christians in North Western Pakistan as "an internal matter" that they wouldn't raise with the government. He also rightly expressed concern that Mark Malloch-Brown's huge array of responsibilities mean he is far from an effective human rights spokesman for the government.
Mohammed Nasheed, the leader of the Maldivian democratic opposition who has himself been tortured and incarcerated, spoke very warmly of what the Conservatives had done for him and his country. Nasheed blames the beauty of his country for masking the hell that many of its inhabitants endure. He stopped short of saying that tourists shouldn't visit the country (long-time dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has actively sought to radicalise Islam in the country, has spuriously blamed boycott-advocates for the recent beach bomb) but they shouldn't, or at least not use regime-supporting resorts. Nasheed said he was "extremely, extremely grateful" for the Conservative Party's help in building the MDP up, and for the HRC's pressure on the government that has reaped real results.
Human rights campaigners will tell you how much work it took to get Brown to say what he did about Burma, we can be proud that such effort wasn't required with the Conservatives. One of the stars of last year's conference, Burma campaigner Zoya Phan, will be speaking in the main hall again tomorrow, in the same session as Rwanda's President Kigame. Will Cameron devote a speech to human rights issues soon?
It can't be long before the major political parties in this country and others belatedly get in on the act and set up HRCs of their own. This would be very welcome indeed, so long as they didn't fall into the left-wing trap of focusing on the West out of all proportion!
Deputy Editor
I'd be far more interested if the Human Rights issues were aimed more at the victims of crime at home rather than the victims abroad. Too many times has the Human Rights Act been used to shield criminals from their actions and prevent justice. If the Tories were to promise to amend this, then you might, just might get my vote. Throw in a proper English Parliament in a Federal UK then you'll not just get my vote but all the members of my family too.
Posted by: Dave H | October 01, 2007 at 20:19
The truth is that many, many of these situations can't be dealt with because they are not in China or Russia's interest. I think if we (By we I really mean all Liberal Democracies, Britain on its own is not enough even if we punch above our weight) are truly going to do something for human rights violations across the world then we have to use our collective economic muscle to persuade China and Russia that it is in their interests to improve human rights in their own and their satellite states.
Posted by: voreas06 | October 01, 2007 at 20:42
>I'd be far more interested if the Human Rights issues were aimed more at the victims of crime at home rather than the victims abroad. Too many times has the Human Rights Act been used to shield criminals from their actions and prevent justice.
Eh? What are you going on about?
The story is about people being tortured and burnt alive, and you are going on about criminals in the UK?
Do you not care about genocide, something which can be stopped?
Posted by: matthew | October 01, 2007 at 21:57
Realpolitik will always trump any consideration of human rights when it comes to foreign policy. Oppositions have the luxery to take the moral high ground but when the business of government arrives real choices have to made and sadly in many cases true human rights, those of the dignity of the human person are pushed to one side. As conservatives we should not fool ourseves nor the British people.
Posted by: Paul | October 02, 2007 at 03:19
Not sure that Hague would have done any more than Brown has in Burma, seeing as our armed forces are already approaching breaking point, but it's good to see him setting his stall out so clearly.
http://lettersfromatory.wordpress.com/2007/10/02/sit-back-and-enjoy-the-carnage/
Posted by: Letters From A Tory | October 02, 2007 at 08:51
Surely national interest should be at the heart of british foreign policy?
Posted by: Dave Bartlett | October 02, 2007 at 09:01
Do as I say not as I do.
Our record in the West from Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, through Rendition and the fabricated basis for the invasion of Iraq hardly provides a morally strong position from which to lecture others. The inexcusable vacillation over Darfur further reinforces our collective moral failure and the view that the West only intervenes when our interests are directly threatened.
The message should be that Gordon Brown and New Labour are part of the problem and that Cameron's Conservative party is part of the solution. We have the high ground and should stake our claim.
Gordon Brown is currently in Baghdad trying to milk some electoral advantage from the 'bringing our boys home routine' and we should be saying, repeatedly and loudly, that he put them there in the first place. On his head be it.
And here's an idea if we are balancing tax cuts with ethically motivated tax hikes:
The Conservative government will withdraw our armed forces from Iraq and will invest the same money that it costs to keep combat troops in theatre in the infrastructure of Basra and Southern Iraq. We will do, in other words, the right thing.
Posted by: englandism | October 02, 2007 at 09:29
Why should Britain bear the cost of fighting for human rights when our economic competitors like China and India refuse to do like wise?
Posted by: Winifred G Nutt | October 02, 2007 at 10:20
I am staggered by the pathetic, nasty, tiny-mindedness of some of commenters on this site. They are a disgrace to the Conservative Party -- assuming they aren't UKIP trolls.
Posted by: Conservative Conscience | October 02, 2007 at 10:23
I'm so pleased that there is now an emphasis on human rights. Perhaps we'll a bit more about our human rights obligation to look after those seeking asylum from such areas, and a bit less about how they are "stealing our houses."
Posted by: passing leftie | October 02, 2007 at 11:46
Our record in the West from Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo Bay, through Rendition and the fabricated basis for the invasion of Iraq hardly provides a morally strong position from which to lecture others.
Exactly. Anyway all this handwringing will achieve nothing. With China and Russia calling many of the shots these days it is unlikely that a Conservative government could achieve anything more than is being done at present by Brown and co.
No doubt some of these tyrannies will run out of steam in due course. Mugabe cannot be much longer for this world. When he pops his clogs there is a good chance that Zimbabwe can return to something like normality.
Always remember that in the vast majority of cases dictatorships, tyrannical monarchies etc come to grief when the rulers show signs of weakness, conscience or both.
In the case of Burma I would say there is not the slightest chance of that happening in the forseeable future.
Posted by: Traditional Tory | October 02, 2007 at 16:32
I think British conservatives should look at the Maldives webstes, lke Good governor, and then you will realise, how much the Maldivian hate your intrusion in the Maldives, with your affliation to this terror group, who since its formation is abusing the human rights of maldivian citizen by engaging in violence, creating lawlessness in our country.you are hated, and you should abondon the partnership you have with this violent movement. this is unethical, you can contribute to humanrights by stopping your support to this group. you are losing your credibility among people because of this liason.
Posted by: thakur | October 03, 2007 at 13:02
Thakur, assuming you are referring to the MDP, I'd like to say how delighted I am that this article has got your attention - only someone in league with the government could assert that it is they who are abusing human rights!
Posted by: Deputy Editor | October 03, 2007 at 13:52
I was in exile at the time the Conservatives were setting up their HRU. I also was fortunate enough to meet Rt. Hon. Liam Fox, who very kindly arranged for us to meet Rt. Hon. Garry Streeter. Our visit was in connection with the human rights situation in my country.
When it comes to helping another human being, one must have the strength to overcome prejudice and pettiness, I think.
The Conservatives care. And, they have a plan. After returning home from exile, and after witnessing the deteriorating situation that culminated in a bomb incident, I must admit that your efforts now must be doubled. If there is hope, there is always a way.
Abusing a human being anywhere on earth, is a crime. Anyone can prevent it. For a political party it is easier.
Posted by: ahmed naseer | October 03, 2007 at 15:20
The people of the Maldives have clearly benefited from the importance the UK and its EU partners have placed on human rights. When I was in government, I was deeply encouraged by the support the government received from the UK, whether through High Commmissioner Chilcott or the Chairman of the All Party Group,the Lord Naseby or indeed from the Conservative Party Human Rights Commission in acceding to international human rights treaties. While I recognise that accession is only the first step, the wide range of pro-human rights measures taken on my watch would not have been possible without the support of our international stakeholders. Needless to say, I am very happy to read that human rights promotion remains at the heart of the Conservative Party's foreign policy. It should be the case for all parties and all countries.
Posted by: Ahmed Shaheed | October 03, 2007 at 18:52
We have NO human rights in Maldives. Its all what you see on the face of Maldives. The paradsie the heaven , the little paradise in the Indian ocean, all fake.... If any of you come to Maldives and see by your self and see how the people live under the umberall of Mr. Gayoom. How he treats the people ... Its all fake and nothing true in Maldives
Posted by: Rilwan | October 03, 2007 at 22:08
in maldives we have more human rights than that u have in UK, we have full freedom of speach which u dont have,
Posted by: ahmed | October 05, 2007 at 07:58