British Bill of Rights

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The British Bill of Rights can refer to:

• The Bill of Rights 1689 - An Act of the Parliament of England made following the Glorious Revolution, considered one of the fundamental parts of the British constitution.
• The Claim of Right Act 1689 - An Act of the Parliament of Scotland which enacted the same principles as the Bill of Rights in England into Scottish law.
• A proposed bill of rights for the United Kingdom enshrining human rights into British law, either to complement or replace the existing Human Rights Act 1998.

Contents 1 The Bill of Rights 1689 2 See also 3 References 4 Further reading

[edit] The Bill of Rights 1689

This fundamental document of British constitutional law differed substantially in form and intent from the United States Bill of Rights because it was intended to address the rights of citizens as represented by Parliament against the Crown. However, some of its basic tenets are adopted and extended to the general public by the US Bill of Rights, including

• the right of petition
• an independent judiciary (the Sovereign was forbidden to establish his own courts or to act as a judge himself),
• freedom from taxation by royal (executive) prerogative, without agreement by Parliament (legislators),
• freedom from a peace-time standing army,
• freedom [for Protestants] to bear arms for their defence, as allowed by law,
• freedom to elect members of Parliament without interference from the Sovereign,
• freedom of speech in Parliament,
• freedom from cruel and unusual punishments and excessive bail, and
• freedom from fines and forfeitures without trial.

[edit] See also

• Bill of Rights

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

A New British Bill Of Rights: The Case For