‘Big Brother’ government costs us £20billion – Daily Telegraph
“The cost of Britain’s ‘surveillance society’ measures is now running at £20 billion, a new report reveals today.”
Daily Telegraph, 7th July 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Mother of July 7 bombing victim calls for inquiry – The Independent
“A mother whose son died in the 7 July bombings in London is using today’s third anniversary of the atrocity to call for a public inquiry into the incident.”
The Independent, 7th July 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
UK is sending 11,000 Mugabe refugees back – The Guardian
“Attempts by Gordon Brown to use a meeting of G8 leaders this week to campaign for tougher action against Zimbabwe are in danger of being undermined by claims that Britain is forcing as many as 11,000 Zimbabweans seeking refuge here to make a stark choice between destitution or returning home to possible torture or death. Letters obtained by The Observer show that the Home Office continues to order failed Zimbabwean asylum seekers to return home in the face of mounting violence.”
The Guardian, 6th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Inquiry urged into UK territory – BBC News
“MPs are urging the Foreign Office to launch an inquiry into the running of a British territory in the Caribbean.”
BBC News, 6th July 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Max Mosley’s case is the frontline in a legal battle for freedom of expression – The Independent
“The case that could define the future freedom of the British press contains some of the key ingredients of a Whitehall farce: a seemingly respectable middle-aged man caught with his pants down, drinking tea and chattering away to scantily clad women in the language of the sitcom ‘Allo ‘Allo!: ‘Zey need more of ze punishment, I zink.'”
The Independent, 7th July 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Hundreds of innocent people ‘wrongly branded criminals’, by CRB checks – Daily Telegraph
“Hundreds of innocent people have been wrongly branded as criminals by the Government agency set up to vet people working with children, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.”
Daily Telegraph, 5th July 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Asylum-seekers are sent back to Darfur – The Independent
“The ban on deporting asylum-seekers back to Darfur has been lifted by the Government despite warnings of widespread murder and torture of dissidents in the Sudanese region.”
The Independent, 7th July 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Convictions for rape a postcode lottery, says equality group – The Guardian
“Rape victims face a ‘postcode lottery’ when it comes to getting their attackers punished, with women in some areas almost five times more likely to secure convictions than in others, campaigners said yesterday.”
The Guardian, 7th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
14,000 knife victims a year – The Independent
“Knife violence in Britain is far worse than official statistics suggest, with almost 14,000 people taken to hospital for injuries caused by knives and other sharp weapons last year.”
The Independent, 6th July 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Schoolgirl’s fight for passport – BBC News
“A 16-year-old schoolgirl is unable to leave the country, open a bank account or get a job – because she does not officially ‘exist’.”
BBC News, 5th July 2008
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
How much will we be able to rely on supermarkets’ own-brand lawyers? – The Guardian
“So-called ‘Tesco Law’ – legal services from consumer brand names offering an alternative to the high-street solicitor – is already available through Which?, the Halifax and the Co-op, but critics question the quality of advice available. Jon Robins investigates.”
The Guardian, 6th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Overcharged British Airways and Virgin Atlantic passengers to claim compensation – The Times
“Millions of Britons who flew across the Atlantic between two and four years ago are being invited to claim a share of more than £70 million that has been ordered to be handed over to them.”
The Times, 5th July 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Police marksmen dubbed ‘serial killer’ gets compensation – Daily Telegraph
“A police marksman, who has shot dead several armed gunmen, has been awarded £5,000 in damages after a senior Scotland Yard officer jokingly called him a ‘serial killer’.”
Daily Telegraph, 6th July 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Feel free to run wild in your garden, says judge – The Times
“What constitutes a garden and gardening has been redefined by a judge who ruled that chopping down a swath of trees can count as weeding rather than forestry.”
The Times, 5th July 2008
Source: www.timesonline.co.uk
Former member of Islamist group barred from becoming solicitor – The Guardian
“A former member of a radical Islamist group who was an Amnesty prisoner of conscience and who now works for an anti-extremist Muslim thinktank has been refused permission to train as a lawyer. The decision was attacked yesterday as ‘McCarthyite’ by a senior lawyer and human rights campaigner.”
The Guardian, 7th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
Cherie Blair: A call to action on knife crime – Daily Telegraph
“Cherie Blair QC, chair of the Street Weapons Commission, on the truth about gang violence and what can be done to bring it under control.”
Daily Telegraph, 6th July 2008
Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
Youth Justice Board’s future in doubt over failure to reduce crime – The Independent
“The future of the Youth Justice Board, one of the central elements of Tony Blair’s penal policy, is in serious doubt as the Government rethinks its strategy on youth crime.”
The Independent, 6th July 2008
Source: www.independent.co.uk
Podcast 64: With John Hirst – author of Jailhouse Lawyer’s blog and Podcast 65: The right of prisoners to vote with Carl Gardner – Charon QC
“Today I am talking to John Hirst, author of the Jailhouse Lawyer’s blog. John has spent 35 of his 57 years in prison.
John was sent to prison for life after being convicted of the manslaughter of his landlady, in 1979. ‘He received a tariff of 15 years, but served a total of 25 before being released in October last year. He believes his activities as a litigant against the Prison Service and Home Office are the main reason he had to serve the extra years. John proved to be the most prolific prisoner litigant of modern times – and, he says, like Perry Mason and Rumpole of the Bailey, he never lost a case against the Prison Service.’ ”
Listen to Podcast 64: With John Hirst – author of Jailhouse Lawyer’s blog
“Today I am talking to Carl Gardner, author of the Head of Legal blog, barrister, former government lawyer and commentator on Human Rights Law, about the case of Hirst v United Kingdom No (2) heard at the ECHR in 2005.
Yesterday, I did a podcast with John Hirst, author of the Jailhouse Lawyer blog about his experience of prison life and during that conversation we talked about John’s case against the British government about the right of prisoners to vote – which he won.
Carl Gardner analyses the Hirst case and we talk about the practical implications of the judgment. We also talk about Lord Phillip’s attitude to Sharia Law and his support for Dr Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
Listen to Podcast 65: The right of prisoners to vote with Carl Gardner
Source: www.charonqc.wordpress.com
“Charon QC” is the blogging pseudonym of Mike Semple Piggot, editor of insitelaw newswire.
Blogger wins right to free speech – The Guardian
“A blogger who faced charges of intimidation in cyberspace has won a legal judgment that anti-censorship campaigners claimed this weekend will protect freedom of expression across the worldwide web.”
The Guardian, 6th July 2008
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
