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Kiron Reid: Personal and Political webpages

Kiron Reid

Kiron Reid is a Liberal activist, writer and campaigner in support of civil liberties, the environment and an inclusive, tolerant society. He is a committed internationalist and pro-European. He has written extensively about Liberalism, most often in the British Liberal magazine "Liberator". Kiron has many years actively and successfully campaigning for the Liberal Democrats. Professionally he is a Lecturer in Law at the University of Liverpool. His work has been published in leading law journals.

He supports international development and cooperation; and non-party / cross-party cooperation on matters of shared principles.

Learn more about Kiron

Recent updates

  • Local elections tomorrow. What the newspapers & Labour leaflets don't tell you.
    Article: May 2, 2012

    Last year Conservative and Labour councils closed more than 40 libraries. No Liberal Democrat-controlled council in England and Wales closed any library. Liberal Democrat led Councils are opening libraries in Cardiff, Portsmouth and Bristol.

    All pensioners are getting the largest single ever rise in the full state pension.

  • 'Now what would you think of Muslims if we all pulled together and did everything in our power to end hunger in the world? Now that would be something!'
    Article: Apr 22, 2012

    I was wanting to write a post in my series on tolerance and progress about how everyone should strive for peace and great achievements rather than killing, hatred, war, intolerance, corruption and crime. Then I read this quote in a book by UK anti-terrorist police officer, Harry Keeble. (The full passage is below). The same applies to people of every race and religion, nationality, rich or poor. Everyone knows that necessity is the mother of invention and that many of the greatest advances of mankind have been made by science during war. It is also a truism that often the warnings of great scientists about the use of technology for bad ends have been ignored by those in power.

  • Review of David Boyle, Toward the Setting Sun: Columbus, Cabot, Vespucci, and the race for America.
    Document: Apr 22, 2012
    36 KiB text or word processing document

    This is a review of David Boyle's 2008 book (Walker & Co., New York) about the European explorers of the Americas. I'm a big fan of David Boyle's political and economic writing (most of the time) and his history, and this is the best of his books that I have read.

    Here is a summary but do glance at the full review for a more critical appraisal, aimed at the Liberal / politically interested / general reader interested in history.

    David Boyle, Toward the Setting Sun: Columbus, Cabot, Vespucci, and the race for America. (New York: Walker & Company, 2008), 422pp. $27.99, Hbk.

    The explorers of history retain an abiding interest given the continued publication of books about explorers, especially of the Oceans. Columbus' reputation is probably at a lower ebb than ever before - since low points in his lifetime - but those who say the printed book is dying out can be countered by the interest in historic and scientific tales of daring like this one. Toward the Setting Sun is a useful retelling of the story of Western European exploration that led to European 'discovery', conquest and enslaving of the Caribbean and the continents of America.

    David Boyle says that he is a telling a new tale because he is telling the story of the explorers together instead of separately. The best parts are the tale of daring and adventure of the Portuguese explorers, backed by Prince Henry 'the Navigator' and later, their voyages along the west coast of Africa, and to Brazil. The modern lessons from the story are a reaffirmation of the need for tolerance, cultural understanding and the rule of law. The book is a reminder to try and avoid misunderstanding through miscommunication. And finally, do not underestimate the spirit of adventure and ability of men and women to achieve by striving.

  • Traffic websites - reply from NAO.
    Document: Mar 28, 2012
    423.78 KiB drawing or desktop publishing document

    Reply from National Audit Office, Director Transport Value for Money, Geraldine Barker. 15 February 2012.

    See article 'Traffic websites & waste of public money' 21 March 2012.

  • Traffic websites & waste of public money.
    Article: Mar 21, 2012
    By Kiron Reid

    As part of my efforts to highlight wastes of public money I sent in a complaint to the Government watchdogs that cover England, Wales and Scotland querying the duplication of transport and traffic website, and the idiotic separatist nature of the Welsh, Scottish and English traffic sites.

    I received a constructive and thought out reply from the Director, Transport, of the National Audit Office. That highlighted the NAO's work on reducing duplication of Government websites which I was not familiar with. www.nao.org.uk/digital-britain-2011

  • Enquiry about Luciana Berger MP questions in Parliament.
    Document: Mar 19, 2012
    36.86 KiB drawing or desktop publishing document
  • Reply from Luciana Berger MP about Parliamentary questions.
    Luciana Berger MP Parliamentary questions.
    Article: Mar 18, 2012
    By Kiron Reid

    I've been very critical of the Labour MP for Liverpool Wavertree - as a career politician and careerist and someone desperately keen to make an impression rather than learn from experience.

    One thing I have apparently been wrong about is in thinking that she asked so many Parliamentary questions that she couldn't possibly write them all herself. In fact it appears that Ms. Berger and her office staff are simply very proficient and hardworking in this respect. I attach correspondence and explained the reasons for my cumbersone letter in telling the story to the leading Merseyside political reporter, David Bartlett as follows (slightly edited to improve the sense).

  • What would you do Mr. Fisk?
    Article: Mar 8, 2012
    By Kiron Reid

    About Syria. I emailed the Independent Middle East reporter, Robert Fisk, but he either does not use email (as reported by Wikipedia, viewed 7/03/2012) or does not use a readily guessable email address at least. Here is what I asked the reporter (slightly edited for clarity). Of course I do realise that the work reporters are doing is more important than replying to unsolicited speculative emails.

  • Why we need a British Bill of Rights.
    Article: Dec 23, 2011

    Why we need a British Bill of Rights.

    I recently wrote to the Commission on a Bill of Rights in favour of creating a UK Bill of Rights. (11 November 2011). That paper (4 1/2 pages) is in the articles section of the website.

    I am a sceptic about human rights language in this country. I find the language often misused, both by critics and by those wanting to get something out of it. The European Court of Justice judgment saying that Britain cannot deport asylum seekers to Greece (21 December) will not help as it simply leaves a political problem. At the same time many advocates use 'human rights' as the magic bullet argument to say that x that they believe in (development or an economic benefit for example) should be provided, which simply means they politically support it. Often I do too but I don't think the rights language helps. It would be nice if the tabloids ever reported the people (public servants, campaigners, volunteers) actually using human rights on the ground in a way that helps both the people doing their jobs and people being cared for, or dependent on public services. I only see those stories reported in the Guardian or the Independent.

  • Why we need a British Bill of Rights.
    Document: Dec 23, 2011
    51.5 KiB text or word processing document

    My submission to the Commission on a Bill of Rights in favour of creating a UK Bill of Rights. (11/11/2011).

    Addendum.

    As soon as I had sent in the response I remembered two small examples which I should have included which demonstrate how the European Convention on Human Rights is both out of date and allows double standards. This is about the treatment of minorities.

    Greece officially denies that there are any minority populations in the country, which is implausible and must challenge EU commitments to equal treatment. It is assumed that EU countries act in accordance with the ECHR to which all are signatories (it predates the EU by many years). In France everyone is officially either French or 'non-French born'. So the country officially claims that there is no discrimination against ethnic minorities because everyone is treated equally, as all French or non-French born residents are treated equally. The denial is palbably untrue because discrimination then occurs either on perceived race or ethnicity, or geographically based (as it might more subtly here - perceived either for or against minority populations) or based on where parents were born. The enforcement of human rights and equality of treatment under EU Law must require that discrimination against minorities is monitored. If two major EU states can ignore such an obvious requirement the convention is clearly a weak protection as it can only be applied to assist in individual cases but where evidence of any pattern to show discrimination will be lacking.

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