As a gay man who lives in a deeply homophobic rural area, where homophobic institutional prejudice by local police & local government is still a reality & rife despite theoretical changes in law, I genuinely fear the return of the almost neo-nazi attitudes of conservatives to power.

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Bob: Blimey mate. We've got more moles in here than a bloody golf course. Why would we bother "smearing" and "muddling (sic) the waters"? I have better things to do with my time than trying to convince f–kwits like you what a bunch of gullible twats you really are.

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Donkey.

"The Amsterdam Treaty: freedom, security and justice
INTRODUCTION

The founding Treaties contained no specific provisions on fundamental rights. The credit for gradually developing a system of guarantees for fundamental rights throughout the European Union has to go to the Court of Justice.

The rulings given by the Court have been essentially based on:

Article 220 (ex Article 164) of the EC Treaty establishing the European Community, which requires the Court to ensure that the law is observed in the interpretation and application of the Treaty;
the political dimension of the Community, which is grounded in a European model of society, including the protection of fundamental rights recognised by all Member States.
By bringing fundamental rights to the fore, those who drafted the Treaty of Amsterdam were endeavouring to give formal recognition to human rights. The provisions of the new Treaty include the following:

Article 6 (ex Article F) of the EU Treaty has been amended so as to reaffirm the principle of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms;
a procedure is laid down for dealing with cases where a Member State has committed a breach of the principles on which the Union is based;
more effective action is to be taken to combat not only discrimination based on nationality but also discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation;
new provisions on equal treatment for men and women are inserted in the Treaty establishing the European Community;
individuals are afforded greater protection with regard to the processing and free movement of personal data;
the Final Act was accompanied by declarations on the abolition of the death penalty, respect for the status of churches and philosophical or non-confessional organisations, and on the needs of persons with a disability.
BACKGROUND

The place given to fundamental rights in the Community Treaties has changed considerably since the European venture was first launched. At the outset, fundamental rights were not a central concern of those who drafted the Paris and Rome Treaties, which reflect a sectoral and functionalist approach. The Treaty of Paris, which established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), is concerned solely with the coal and steel industries. This sectoral approach gained strength after the failure, in 1954, of the European Defence Community (EDC) and the concomitant moves towards political union. It thus became a feature of the Rome Treaties establishing the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the European Economic Community (EEC). Although the EEC Treaty was wider in scope than the other two, all three Treaties covered well-defined economic spheres.

One consequence of this sectoral approach was to set the founding Treaties apart from any basic law of a constitutional nature which incorporated a solemn declaration on fundamental rights. The Treaties in question were not suited to the inclusion of such a preamble, particularly since the Council of Europe's European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), signed in 1950, already provided an advanced model for the protection of human rights in Europe.

The situation changed rapidly as the Court of Justice, in the judgments it handed down, began to monitor the respect shown for fundamental rights by the Community institutions and the Member States whenever they took action within the areas covered by Community law. The Court recognised, for example, the right to property and the freedom to engage in economic activity, which are essential to the smooth operation of the internal market. The Court held that fundamental rights ranked as general principles of Community law and that they were based on two:

the constitutional traditions of the Member States;
the international Treaties to which the Member States belonged (and the ECHR in particular).
In 1977 the European Parliament, the Commission and the Council signed a Joint Declaration in which they undertook to continue respecting the fundamental rights arising from the two sources identified by the Court. In 1986 a further step was taken when the preamble to the Single European Act included a reference to the promotion of democracy on the basis of fundamental rights.

The EU Treaty states that "[t]he Union shall respect fundamental rights, as guaranteed by the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms signed in Rome on 4 November 1950 and as they result from the constitutional traditions common to the Member States, as general principles of Community law" (Article 6(2), ex Article F.2).

At the same time, the idea that the Community as such should accede to the ECHR had begun to circulate. The Council decided to ask the Court's opinion on whether membership of the Convention would be compatible with the Treaties. In its opinion of 28 March 1996 the Court held that, as Community law stood at that time, the Community was not competent to accede to the Convention.

As European integration has progressed, the European Union has gradually widened its field of action, reflecting the determination of the Member States to act as one in areas which until now have been a strictly national preserve (e.g. internal security or the fight against racism and xenophobia). In view of these changes, which necessarily go beyond the sectoral context of the Community's early days and impinge on the daily life of European citizens, there is a need for clear legal texts which proclaim respect for fundamental rights as a basic principle of the European Union. The Treaty of Amsterdam meets this need.

PRINCIPLES

The Treaty of Amsterdam clarifies Article 6 (ex Article F) of the Treaty on European Union by stating unequivocally that the Union is founded on the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law, principles which are common to the Member States.

It also amends the preamble to the EU Treaty, confirming the Member States' attachment to fundamental social rights as defined in the European Social Charter of 1961 and the Community Charter of the Fundamental Social Rights of Workers of 1989.

Before the Treaty of Amsterdam entered into force, Article F.2 of the EU Treaty stressed respect for the rights guaranteed by the ECHR and those resulting from the constitutional traditions common to the member states. However, under former Article L (now renumbered Article 46) the powers of the Court of Justice did not extend to Article F, so limiting its impact. Since ensuring respect for the law in the interpretation and application of the Treaty is the Court's task, the scope of fundamental rights was correspondingly reduced.

By amending Article 46, the Treaty of Amsterdam ensures that Article 6(2) will be applied. The Court now has the power to decide whether the institutions have failed to respect fundamental rights.

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@Sister Mary Clarence

Why do Tories keep saying this crap? Do they hope that if they push this lie hard enough people will believe it?

Almost all the equality legislation of the past 12 years; repeal of section 28, same-sex adoption, civil partnerships and anti-discrimination laws had nothing to do with the EC or EU.

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All the best.

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Equality legislation came from the European Parliament and the European Court NOT from the f*cking Labour Party.

You're all so happy to enjoy the benefits of equality legislation but too down right f*cking lazy or stupid, or both, to find out exactly how it came about.

It takes about 10 seconds to google it, which is considerably less time than it takes most of you to write the inane, ill-informed crap you're all spouting about the Tories.

"I believe it because someone told me it true", is hardly a robust motto to see you through the perils of life. Its a wonder you have time to post on here in between falling over and walking into things.

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All the best.

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The two main parties have totally shown their disrespect towards the causes that Pride ans the Stonewall riots represent.

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And RobN – one of the main reasons it took so long for the Govt to repeal Section 28 was that Tory MPs and Tory peers (in the main) kept voting it down.

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