As a Mathematician with a lifelong passion for numbers I have always liked statistics. I am wary of them, of course. ‘There are three types of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics” may be an overused quotation, but it does contain a grain of truth. In the wrong hands, ‘facts’ are not always what they…
Listening to the first of this year’s Reith Lectures (by Prof. Niall Ferguson, The Rule of Law and its Enemies; next one, Tuesday 9am Radio 4) caused me to meditate on the Arab “spring”. I have just returned from a conference in the Middle East on the Middle East, at which there was universal agreement…
I had a useful meeting with the Ambassador of Myanmar last week. He and his deputy were interested in the rule of law project I have established in Abu Dhabi and Palestine. This regime is now keen to change and have entered into meaningful discussions with Aung San Suu Kyi. So I am looking at…
Following my discussion with the High representative of Palestine in the UK and the Emirates Ambassador the post graduate school of law is now well on its way to completion and hopefully will take students from Palestine later this year. I think they are being a little optimistic about starting this year but enthusiasm counts…
It is a humbling experience to watch the incredible bravery of the Libyan people and the cool headed approach of so many Arabs in the current upheavals throughout the region. None of us can be sure how this will end but I am personally very encouraged and more inclined to optimism than pessimism. For years…
