Exactly Peter. I do not know how such a meaningful check list could be constructed, agreed and actually acted upon without coercion. For one thing we ignore how rapidly social life in the west has developed in comparison with those of a traditionalist character. I grew up in an era when the ‘whisper of homosexuality’ destroyed careers and lives. (Some may say it still does so.) I now have a gay M.P. But to confine this to sexuality or identity is to be entirely superficial. As someone I respect put it “If we can get the rest of the world to accept Mac Donald’s, and let women ride motorbikes this will make them free.” It was a joke obviously.

If the “Greens” think that countries such as China, North Korea, Iran, Saudi, Burma, etc etc etc etc etc etc etc etc ……………. are going to take the slightest bit of notice to a Human rights league table and clean up their record, then the “Greens” have, without any shadow of a doubt, been consuming far to many of those little mushrooms they love so much.

Even if you disagree with the Green Party, this idea should be considered on its merits or demerits, and not according to who is proposing it.

Judging from some comments, not everyone seems to have actually read the proposals. Here is a useful summary:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2009/dec/10/index-human-rights

Some key points are:

There is, however, no objective, transparent measure to determine a country’s conformity to, or departure from, human rights norms. We have no independent yardstick to assess which countries are the worst human rights abusers and which ones have the best human rights records.

Indeed, there is no globally-agreed check-list of what specific, concrete rights constitute human rights.

These deficiencies need to be addressed if the international community is to secure human rights progress. We need benchmarks and gold standards, against which all countries can be measured, without fear or favour.

There is no easy way to ensure that the principles of the UDHR are upheld by UN member states. But the power of publicity and moral leverage should not be under-estimated. Even tyrannies are conscious of their image and seek to avoid approbrium.

This is why the Green Party of England and Wales is advocating a UN Global Human Rights Index, as a means of measuring and ranking human rights abuses, county by country. The aim is to create a human rights league table to pressure governments to clean up their record. See the index here:
http://www.greenparty.org.uk/assets/files/reports/ReportHRI_-4-2.pdf

http://www.tomharris.org.uk/2009/12/15/carter-ruck-a-limerick-waiting-to-happen/

Or a lackey of the Boss Class!

The assumption inherent here, that I can’t possibly be a member of the Boss Class, is mildly hurtful, even if not actually untrue.

Only mildly mind you.

Interesting, Mr Smith. I’m deluded, am I? Tell me, then, when did the UK allow gay couples to get properly, legally married, as opposed to the joke of “civil partnerships”? Didn’t we hold back on allowing gay people to join the military until a couple of years ago? Do we have community centres for gay teenagers? When homophobic crimes are committed in the UK, are enough people so shocked and appalled by this that it leads to rioting on the streets in protest?

I’ll be charitable, and just assume that we get our information from different sources. In my case, a number of gay and bisexual Israelis. In your case, the BBC, the Socialist Workers’ Party, or the Machine Elves telling you in a dream.

Or a lackey of the Boss Class!

Seriously, now.

“Much of this article and the comments reflect the arrogance of the EU and UK on human rights issues that we’ve seen most recently in the UK’s disgusting treatment of Tzipi Livni last week.” Ohad 10.55 a.m.

How so? Also I am delighted to learn the United Kingdom has now left the United States of Europe. How did I miss this amazing news?

I quite agree that the legal moves made (incredibly) against Livni were a disgrace but those responsible here are not the “U.K.” In its own way this incident (Ms Livni did not travel to the U.K. as it happens) serves to demonstrate the obverse of what human rights mean to many. Less a manner of allowing and sharing but one of censure and control. The law should be sensitive to individuals but a state in which individuals all act entirely and solely in their own perception of justice will be a shooting gallery of legalisms and litigation – in effect giving vent to the merely vexatious. Ms Livni is fortunate she is not Tony Blair who may face a lifetime of this.

A man who’s had to quit as a MP candidate due to brain damage suffered from Mugabe’s thugs and homophobe in Moscow:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/dec/16/peter-tatchell-quits-as-candidate

Yup, Judy, I’m sure your history of armchair blogwarriordom is far more substantial.

P.

People have been recycling/reusing materials for long before the Green Party came into being.

Now, can someone tell me who elected the Greens (or Tatchell for that matter) to any position of supra-national authority?