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Emergency State (book)
Emergency State: How We lost Our Freedoms in the Pandemic and Why it Matters is a book by UK human rights lawyer Adam Wagner. The book explores how the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated Government response had unprecedented powers to make and change legislation at will without accountability and what safeguards could be created to prevent this in the future. Wagner was appointed to work on the Independent Commission on UK Public Health Emergency Powers.
In this book, Wagner argues that COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom brought the country as close to a police state as in living memory. Wagner makes suggestions in response to events during the pandemic including suggesting a review of the fixed penalty notices and other penalties issues during COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, for a codified constitution in the United Kingdom, and for opposition members of parliament to be involved in pandemic meetings.
The book comprises a preface and nine chapters: States of Emergency, Very Strong Measures, Take It on the Chin, You Must Stay at Home, The Lockdown Bites, Patchwork Summer, The Darkest Winter, Step by Step, and Freedom Regained?. The second to eighth chapters are ordered chronologically and summarise the number of cases and deaths.
The book has notes, a list of relevant legislation, and index of cases.It provides an infographic showing how covid cases and deaths progressed during the pandemic and which restrictions were in place at these times and a timeline of restrictions.
The book discusses how during existential threats states reorganize themselves in what Wagner dubs Emergency States to tackle the crisis and equates them to historic precedents. Wagner notes six properties of the emergency state, that it is "mighty" and can marshal very larger resources to a goal; that power is concentrated; that the state becomes ignorant due to the centralised decision making; that it tends to corruption; that it is self-reinforcing with people used to absolute power tending to think of excuses to keep it; the final feature is that people often want to be ruled in this manner during emergencies due to a desire for simplicity, strong leadership. Wagner argues that any society can rearrange itself towards a common cause, good or bad, drawing comparisons to the war on terror following the September 11 attacks and the Holocaust, quoting George Orwell arguing the importance of role of public opinion in influencing the laws that are enforced and created.
He notes the comparison to the ancient Roman emergency dictatorial practice of Justitium, the British State during the second world war, and Elizabethan plague orders in England for bubonic plague.
In the first chapter, Wagner introduces the concept of the Emergency State, the manner in which the State functions during an existential crisis such as famine, pandemic, or war drawing comparison to other historic crises.
Wagner notes that most modern states have legislation to allow emergency powers where constitutional protections for fundamental rights can be suspended. He cites the case of Liversidge v Anderson where the House of Lords Judges ruled that the Home Secretary need not provide any reason for their decision to indefinitely detain someone for that decision to be reasonable.
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Emergency State (book)
Emergency State: How We lost Our Freedoms in the Pandemic and Why it Matters is a book by UK human rights lawyer Adam Wagner. The book explores how the UK government during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated Government response had unprecedented powers to make and change legislation at will without accountability and what safeguards could be created to prevent this in the future. Wagner was appointed to work on the Independent Commission on UK Public Health Emergency Powers.
In this book, Wagner argues that COVID-19 restrictions in the United Kingdom brought the country as close to a police state as in living memory. Wagner makes suggestions in response to events during the pandemic including suggesting a review of the fixed penalty notices and other penalties issues during COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, for a codified constitution in the United Kingdom, and for opposition members of parliament to be involved in pandemic meetings.
The book comprises a preface and nine chapters: States of Emergency, Very Strong Measures, Take It on the Chin, You Must Stay at Home, The Lockdown Bites, Patchwork Summer, The Darkest Winter, Step by Step, and Freedom Regained?. The second to eighth chapters are ordered chronologically and summarise the number of cases and deaths.
The book has notes, a list of relevant legislation, and index of cases.It provides an infographic showing how covid cases and deaths progressed during the pandemic and which restrictions were in place at these times and a timeline of restrictions.
The book discusses how during existential threats states reorganize themselves in what Wagner dubs Emergency States to tackle the crisis and equates them to historic precedents. Wagner notes six properties of the emergency state, that it is "mighty" and can marshal very larger resources to a goal; that power is concentrated; that the state becomes ignorant due to the centralised decision making; that it tends to corruption; that it is self-reinforcing with people used to absolute power tending to think of excuses to keep it; the final feature is that people often want to be ruled in this manner during emergencies due to a desire for simplicity, strong leadership. Wagner argues that any society can rearrange itself towards a common cause, good or bad, drawing comparisons to the war on terror following the September 11 attacks and the Holocaust, quoting George Orwell arguing the importance of role of public opinion in influencing the laws that are enforced and created.
He notes the comparison to the ancient Roman emergency dictatorial practice of Justitium, the British State during the second world war, and Elizabethan plague orders in England for bubonic plague.
In the first chapter, Wagner introduces the concept of the Emergency State, the manner in which the State functions during an existential crisis such as famine, pandemic, or war drawing comparison to other historic crises.
Wagner notes that most modern states have legislation to allow emergency powers where constitutional protections for fundamental rights can be suspended. He cites the case of Liversidge v Anderson where the House of Lords Judges ruled that the Home Secretary need not provide any reason for their decision to indefinitely detain someone for that decision to be reasonable.