Will my right hon. Friend give way?

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

As my hon. Friend the Minister knows, I have genuinely worked hard in trying to support the Bill, even up until yesterday evening. If today’s vote was on whether the Minister is a good man, we would have no need for a Division. If the question was whether his assurances...

As my hon. Friend the Minister knows, I have genuinely worked hard in trying to support the Bill, even up until yesterday evening. If today’s vote was on whether the Minister is a good man, we would have no need for a Division. If the question was whether his assurances...

A number of hon. Members have provided the Minister with example statements and asked him whether the Bill would catch them. In each case, he has said that the Bill would not catch that statement, but it would be helpful if he provided an example of a statement that the...

A number of hon. Members have provided the Minister with example statements and asked him whether the Bill would catch them. In each case, he has said that the Bill would not catch that statement, but it would be helpful if he provided an example of a statement that the...

I should have thought that the name of Lord Carlile would have some resonance among Opposition Members. He is the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, and he said that there should not be a Dutch auction in Parliament on the numbers, which is exactly what is happening. He also said...

I should have thought that the name of Lord Carlile would have some resonance among Opposition Members. He is the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, and he said that there should not be a Dutch auction in Parliament on the numbers, which is exactly what is happening. He also said...

It is not just the police and the prosecution authorities who support the Government’s position but Lord Carlile—

It is not just the police and the prosecution authorities who support the Government’s position but Lord Carlile—

I support very strongly what the Government are trying to do in general through this Bill, but we are right to ask for a certain amount of caution at various points, and this is probably one of them. During our proceedings, the so-called Mandela test has been raised in a...

I support very strongly what the Government are trying to do in general through this Bill, but we are right to ask for a certain amount of caution at various points, and this is probably one of them. During our proceedings, the so-called Mandela test has been raised in a...

I was troubled by the last intervention and I wish to pin my hon. Friend down on the issue if I can, because it goes to the heart of worries about the Bill. I want to be able to say that I hate religious bigots and religious bigotry. I want...

I was troubled by the last intervention and I wish to pin my hon. Friend down on the issue if I can, because it goes to the heart of worries about the Bill. I want to be able to say that I hate religious bigots and religious bigotry. I want...

The Minister’s argument is that some amendments are too weak and some are too strong, yet he accepts the desire across the House to place further reassurance in the Bill than currently exists. Will the Government therefore table a third way amendment at some point to address these difficulties and...

The Minister’s argument is that some amendments are too weak and some are too strong, yet he accepts the desire across the House to place further reassurance in the Bill than currently exists. Will the Government therefore table a third way amendment at some point to address these difficulties and...

My right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Frank Dobson) spoke powerfully about the need to do something. That is always a powerful call, and no one who has taken part in the debate has dissented from the proposition that there is an issue that needs to...

My right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Frank Dobson) spoke powerfully about the need to do something. That is always a powerful call, and no one who has taken part in the debate has dissented from the proposition that there is an issue that needs to...

Is not a further complication that we happily allow people to hate each other, and in any case, how can we prevent them from doing so? It is an entrenched part of terrace culture that the supporters of certain football clubs hate those of other football clubs. We live with...

Is not a further complication that we happily allow people to hate each other, and in any case, how can we prevent them from doing so? It is an entrenched part of terrace culture that the supporters of certain football clubs hate those of other football clubs. We live with...

Yes, feelings will be generated on all sides that will be unhelpful to the Government’s objective. The Minister may be about to tell me that he agrees entirely with this anodyne new clause, in which case I could have saved myself a few moments on the Floor of the House....

Yes, feelings will be generated on all sides that will be unhelpful to the Government’s objective. The Minister may be about to tell me that he agrees entirely with this anodyne new clause, in which case I could have saved myself a few moments on the Floor of the House....

That is true and of course, according to a further powerful argument that has been deployed in this debate, if the Bill is left as it is, it will create expectations of consequences that will never be realised and should never be realised, and which the Government have said will...

That is true and of course, according to a further powerful argument that has been deployed in this debate, if the Bill is left as it is, it will create expectations of consequences that will never be realised and should never be realised, and which the Government have said will...

I thought that it might be hazardous to cite that example, and in fact, the situation is even more complicated than that. In fact, in such a circumstance one is invoking anticipated possible consequences, rather than real ones. By way of defence, a person might say, ““Of course I am...

I thought that it might be hazardous to cite that example, and in fact, the situation is even more complicated than that. In fact, in such a circumstance one is invoking anticipated possible consequences, rather than real ones. By way of defence, a person might say, ““Of course I am...

There were some rather elevated exchanges earlier on about Voltaire, which lifted the tone of the debate no end. While they were going on, I was rather reminded of John Stuart Mill, which shows how complicated these issues are. In his famous mid-19th century essay ““On Liberty””, which defined how...

There were some rather elevated exchanges earlier on about Voltaire, which lifted the tone of the debate no end. While they were going on, I was rather reminded of John Stuart Mill, which shows how complicated these issues are. In his famous mid-19th century essay ““On Liberty””, which defined how...

Yes, and as we all know this is the important distinction. We are at one on the issues of incitement and violence, but we are not at one on where to draw the distinction between beliefs and believers. We keep coming back to this issue from many different directions, but...

Yes, and as we all know this is the important distinction. We are at one on the issues of incitement and violence, but we are not at one on where to draw the distinction between beliefs and believers. We keep coming back to this issue from many different directions, but...

Indeed it is, and I take that to be part of the same point. So there is a balancing act that we want to perform, but not because some of us are on the side of free speech and others are on the side of protection. Most of us want...

Indeed it is, and I take that to be part of the same point. So there is a balancing act that we want to perform, but not because some of us are on the side of free speech and others are on the side of protection. Most of us want...

At the heart of these arguments is the question whether we can distinguish the beliefs from the believers. My right hon. Friend said, encouragingly, that he is prepared to look at amendments in a generous spirit. Does that mean that he is prepared to include a commitment in the Bill,...

At the heart of these arguments is the question whether we can distinguish the beliefs from the believers. My right hon. Friend said, encouragingly, that he is prepared to look at amendments in a generous spirit. Does that mean that he is prepared to include a commitment in the Bill,...

The hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh) may live to regret his earlier remark about trivial planning matters in the south-east. It reminded me of Mrs. Thatcher’s alleged remark about the environment being a rather boring issue. This has been an extremely good, genuine debate in which Members have not...

The hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh) may live to regret his earlier remark about trivial planning matters in the south-east. It reminded me of Mrs. Thatcher’s alleged remark about the environment being a rather boring issue. This has been an extremely good, genuine debate in which Members have not...