European Human Rights: A Force for Good or a Threat to Democracy?

‘Europe needs the Convention and Europe needs the Court’ said Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers at a public lecture at King’s College London on Tuesday night 17 June 2014. The lecture marked the 40th anniversary of the Centre of European Law in The Dickson Poon School of Law.

In this latest instalment in the ongoing public debate concerning the role of human rights in Britain and in Europe more broadly, Dickson Poon Distinguished Fellow and Visiting Professor Lord Phillips explored the appropriate role and ambit of the European Convention on Human Rights, and the European Court of Human Rights.

Lord Phillips examined the issues which have been the subject of much recent public discussion, media attention and lectures by a variety of distinguished speakers, including fellow Dickson Poon Distinguished Fellow and Visiting Professor, Lord Judge.

Describing where he stands on the debate, Lord Phillips stated: ‘We did not take the lead in promoting and signing the European Convention on Human Rights because we decided this was desirable to restrain our own shortcomings. We did so because we believed that the Convention was needed to prevent abuses of human rights by others. And we signed up to a Court to police the undertakings of the Member States, including our own.’

‘I have no hesitation in expressing my conclusion that Strasbourg is a powerful force for good’, Lord Phillips concluded.

Lord Phillips is a Dickson Poon Distinguished Visitor and Visiting Professor in The Dickson Poon School of Law, King’s College London.  He was Lord Chief Justice of England and Wales from 2005 to 2008, and the first President of the UK Supreme Court.

A copy of Lord Phillips' lecture is available to download here (pdf).

See forthcoming events from Centre of European Law on the Centre’s website.