7: Messing with the 'constitutional plumbing': law, politics & implications for civil society

In this episode we looked at trends in the use of law, political responses to it, and changes on the horizon. Whether you are a legal eagle or a total novice, it’s important to know the law is there for you and the communities you work for when it’s needed, but what are some of the things that you need to be aware of?

To answer this, around the table we had, Rita Chadha, Chief Executive of the Small Charities Coalition, Rosemary Harris, Political Campaigner at Friends of the Earth and Chloe Hardy, Director of Policy & Communications at the Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) 

We covered: changes proposed to the legal system, potential threats to people's rights, the right to protest, charities' role in social change and whether they can be 'too political', changes to judicial review, whether 'judicial activism' is a thing, supporting unpopular or marginalised issues, solidarity across different parts of society, why universal rights and application of the law is essential, the power of small and local, and much more!

SMK’s Law Resource Centre is full free advice and information: www.smk.org.uk/law 

We host lots of opportunities to learn more about social change and campaigning – from training and masterclasses with experts, to peer networking and forums for discussion. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date: https://smk.org.uk/get-involved/newsletter/ 

Also find us @smkcampaigners  

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