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The Human Rights Act 1998: A Bridge between Citizenship and Justice?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2004

Nigel Johnson
Nigel Johnson
Affiliation:
Division of Law, Sheffield Hallam University E-mail: n.c.johnson@shu.ac.uk
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Abstract

This article discusses the implications of the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA). It suggests that the HRA is designed to promote a classic liberal conception of political citizenship, which protects the individual from the exercise of arbitrary state power, and not to extend the role of the state as a welfare provider. It goes on to argue that the government has limited the effectiveness of the HRA by claiming that they are building a culture of rights and responsibilities whilst treating human rights as an issue for the courts rather than an issue for government and public authorities generally. The article concludes by discussing extending the HRA to include economic, social and cultural rights.

Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 3 , Issue 2 , April 2004 , pp. 113 - 121
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2004

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Footnotes

My thanks to the Journal's referees for their assistance and comments.