As I write, the coroner in charge of the 7/7 inquests, Lady Justice Hallett, is about to deliver her findings. She has listened to five months of evidence of the most harrowing circumstances, with the bereaved family members of the victims in court, their suffering only too clear. It is universally agreed that she has…
In relation to gagging orders, which apparently protect the rich and famous from the consequence of their misdeeds, there seems to be agreement that it is up to Parliament to act to restrain their use. But this misses the point. At the core of the judgments given by the courts lies the Human Rights Act. …
I revert to reconsideration of the unfortunate situation we are in, with widespread reports of two new appointments of judges to the Supreme Court having been decided on, but not officially announced. The Law Lords used to sit in the House, but now they are called Justices of the Supreme Court and have their own building…
Some years ago I was chair of the committee in overall charge of Oxford University’s admissions policy and I spent a great deal of my time in outreach activity. In fact, Oxford has spent many £millions over the years on attracting students from all sorts of backgrounds to apply to Oxford. The result is, according…
The Crossman Diaries, published in the mid 1970s, broke convention by publishing accounts of confidential Cabinet discussions. In the event, the courts did not stop their publication, but until recently there was a rule that secret government papers, including cabinet papers, could not be made public until 30 years had passed. This has been reduced to 20 years…
