General Election 2010

Well exactly, we were part and parcel of establishing the ECHR*, but the HRA puts it inside UK law. You no longer have to go to expensive European Courts, andn it's more clearly defined.

• not something that the nebulous 'Europe' did to us.
  
  

Oh and can I add Lord Ashcroft to BQ's list of "Tony's Mates", it was Hague who badgered for his appointment. What's your position on Non Doms?

Never really trust anyone who wants to be a politician, and actually makes it past councillor stage.

What I was trying to ask, but it being early in the day, lacked the vocabulary to do so, was if there are any instances of the Human Rights act having been used successfully to defend the human rights of an innocent Briton? I'm aware of the daily mail examples where it's supposedly been used to prevent justice being done, but no-one ever makes news about successes. If there have been such cases, could these rights have been defended using pre-existing laws? The government have roundly ignored the Human Rights act when they send police thugs to kettle protesters, so was it ever more than a piece of spin?

Ashcroft should be fired. Non Doms should not be allowed in government. Of course if the second chamber was directly elected, he would not be 'Lord' Ashcroft and Hague would have had no say in the matter.
And I would agree with your last statement too, except I wouldn't trust the ones who haven't made it past councillor stage either.