Clause 18
Employment Bill [Lords]
1:30 pm
Barry Gardiner (Brent North, Labour)
The hon. Member for Northampton, South said that this matter should be about an individual’s views rather than membership of a party. Perhaps he should walk down the corridor and look at that wonderful painting of Queen Elizabeth I, where she is saying that she has no desire to make a window into men’s souls. The individual view is private, whereas membership of a party is a public representation of certain views and an expression of them. That is an important distinction. The hon. Gentleman would not want a Big Brother state that inquired into what each of us privately thought, any more than I would. Going down that route would be very dangerous.