Announcement by Pro First Grand Principal - Supreme Grand Chapter 11 Nov 2009

Companions,

I wish to make a statement to the English Craft in general and not restricted to the Royal Arch.

Many of you will have read last week in the media the announcement by the Justice Secretary, Jack Straw, that judges and other members of the judicial system such as magistrates, will no longer have to declare that they are Freemasons.  Nor will applicants for judicial office be required to disclose that they are Freemasons on the application form.

This is as a result of action taken by the Board of General Purposes following a Ruling in the European Court of Human Rights on a case involving Italian Freemasonry that to single out Freemasonry and not include all other organisations was discriminatory and in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In his statement Mr Straw stressed that the Government’s policy requiring disclosure which had been operating since 1998 had shown no evidence of impropriety or malpractice within the judiciary as a result of a judge being a Freemason and that he had concluded that it would be disproportionate to continue the collection or retention of the information.

Companions, this does not mean that there is no need for our members to disclose that they are Freemasons, common-sense will always dictate when it is appropriate to do so and if there is any doubt you should err on the side of disclosure.

The Board made it clear to the Minister that unless the policy was changed they would institute proceedings on behalf of Grand Lodge and its members. The Board have successfully forced a number of Local Authorities to change their policy towards Freemasons.  It will continue to monitor the situation and will not hesitate to take steps against any Public or Local Authority who discriminate against our members.

MEComp Peter Geoffrey Lowndes

Some Background

On 5 November, Jack Straw, the Justice Secretary, announced in a Commons written statement that all first-time successful candidates to be Judges or Magistrates would no longer be required to declare if they were Freemasons.

This requirement had been in place since 1998 following a Home Affairs Select Committee inquiry into Freemasonry in the Police and Judiciary, when it was alleged that there was a ‘perception’ that membership of the Freemasons could lead to impropriety or malpractice.

In May, Grand Lodge threatened legal action if the Ministry of Justice did not withdraw this requirement.  This move was prompted by two helpful European Court of Human Rights judgements, the first in August 2001 and the second in May 2007, both referring to cases in Italy.  Taken together, these judgements acknowledged that Freemasonry is not a ‘secret society’ and that any request for declaration contravened Article 11 (The right to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association) and Article 14 (the right to freedom from discrimination).

In his statement, Mr Straw said that a review had shown no evidence of’impropriety or malpractice’ as a result of a Judge being a Freemason.  He said that it would be ‘disproportionate’ to continue with the practice.

Grand Lodge is delighted with this outcome.

This move by Jack Straw attracted national media coverage.

Click on the links to read the article or right click to download:

Judges don't have to say if they are freemasons
Judges will no longer have to declare whether they are freemasons when they take office, Jack Straw said yesterday.
Daily Mail, p.43 , 06/11/2009

Mason ruling dropped
By: Tom Whitehead
Judges will no longer have to declare being a freemason after Jack Straw scrapped a rule he introduced.
The Daily Telegraph, p.8 , 06/11/2009

Freemasons shake off ruling on judiciary
By: Helen Pidd
The MInistry of Justice has announced that judicial candidates will no longer be required to declare whether or not they are Freemasons. The Ministry of Justice said all levels of the judiciary were affected by the decision, but not coroners, who are appointed by local authorities. Chris Connop, the United Grand Lodge's information officer and a magistrate for 17 years, said: "We are delighted at the decision."
The Guardian, p.6 , 06/11/2009