Letter: Prisoners' rights

David Cameron has a weird sense of leadership in meekly accepting the European Court of Human Rights ruling on prisoners' voting rights; he must surely feel the majority of the British public agree with his "physically ill" reaction to such interference in our ways (your report, 4 November). He should just refuse on our behalf, as the previous Labour government did.

By The Newsroom

Published 28th Feb 2019, 14:03 GMT

The very idea of universal, unqualified rights is a travesty of reason and logic, which this particular case highlights: prisoners are excluded from society for serious violation of accepted standards of behaviour, and should be regarded as thereby rejecting all rights.

These are, in any case, not entitlements but privileges obtained by conforming to such standards, and life would be immeasurably improved for the law-abiding if all social benefits were subject to contractual agreement clearly stating required conditions for receiving them.

The Prime Minister should use this topic as a starting-point to instilling a proper sense of reason in our laws regarding rights.

Robert Dow

Ormiston Road

Tranent, East Lothian