In the early 1980s, Margaret Thatcher described the African National Congress as a “typical terrorist organisation” and one of her MPs said that Nelson Mandela should be shot. In sharp contrast, British councils took a stand against apartheid by boycotting South African goods. Mayors around the world signed a declaration calling for the release of the man who would become not only his country’s leader, but a global icon of democracy and justice. These efforts helped to shift public attitudes towards the struggle for freedom.
In an increasingly globalised world, it seems only logical that local authorities have a role in international affairs. Yet proposed legislation now in front of parliament, the economic activity of public bodies (overseas matters) bill, attempts “to prevent public bodies from being influenced by political or moral disapproval of foreign states when taking certain economic decisions” – even when the censured conduct is a breach of international law.
