Greenpeace has become the first organisation to be fined under the government’s Lobbying Act which critics warned would silence legitimate campaign groups. Ministers said the legislation, dubbed the “gagging law” by charities, would hold corporate lobbyists to account when it was introduced in 2014. But the act has faced intense criticism from civil society groups which have repeatedly warned that the restrictions it imposes on spending during an election would hamper the activities of legitimate groups. Greenpeace says those fears have been borne out after the charity revealed it had been fined £30,000 for refusing to register as a “third-party campaigning organisation” in the run-up to the 2015 election. John Sauven, Greenpeace UK executive director, said the decision not to register was an “act of civil disobedience” and warned that the fine would have a further “chilling effect” on the charities and civil society groups in the run-up to June’s election. “Sometimes legislation is just wrong and you have to stand up and say so. The Lobbying Act is a democratic car crash; it weakens democracy and curtails free speech.” Sauven said: “If you’re a corporate lobbyist paid by a tobacco company to fight anti-smoking legislation you’ve got little to worry about, the Lobbying Act does hardly anything to restrict you. But if you’re a mass membership campaign group trying to get political parties to make strong commitments on the environment or human rights then watch out, the state can now regulate your campaign, tying you in bureaucratic knots and preventing voters from hearing about the issues that matter.”
Guardian 18th April 2017 read more »