There is still a very long way to go before our most important campaign goals become a reality, and that process may take several more years. Remember how long it has taken us to get this far. It's more than eight years since Press For Change was founded. The incoming Labour government in 1997 took nearly two years before it was ready to set up the working group which reported to ministers at Easter this year. It has taken them a further three months to digest that report and proceed to a public consultation.
Bills take time.
Then, if they are passed, they take time to come into effect. So anyone expecting an instant change will be disappointed. We know, as does the government, that when the Human Rights Act comes into force in October, it will make the present situation untenable. If the government does not act, then we are very confident that before long the courts will require them to grant us the rights available in the rest of Europe. I firmly believe that this government does intend to change the law rather than be humiliatingly forced into doing so by the courts.