It is, I suppose, quite possible that somewhere out there, in The City or the regions, there is a lawyer who believes that god is a lizard and who also happens to be a psychic.
Last week environmental campaigner Tim Nicholson successfully argued that green beliefs were the same as religious beliefs for the purpose of the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
The Independent reports today:
In an unpublished judgement in Mr Power’s favour seen by The Independent, the employment specialist Judge Peter Russell said that psychic beliefs are capable of being religious beliefs for the purpose of the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003.
Judge Peter Russell, sitting at Manchester Employment Tribunal, said:
“I am satisfied that the claimant’s beliefs that there is life after death and that the dead can be contacted through mediums are worthy of respect in a democratic society and have sufficient cogency, seriousness, cohesion and importance to fall into the category of a philosophical belief for the purpose of the 2003 Regulations.”
Judge Peter Russell did say, however, that a later hearing would have to establish whether the claimant was “dismissed for the possession of religious or philosophical beliefs or for his alleged inappropriate foisting of his beliefs on others.”
Returning to the case of the fictitious solicitor psychic who believes that god is a lizard…. it would seem that his beliefs in lizard gods and psychic powers are capable of protection under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, but if he started to use his psychic powers to predict the outcome of litigation instead of looking up the law, he would find himself on the wrong side of a professional negligence judgment. But… there again, he would be able to predict that… would he not?
Setback for Government over ‘secret evidence’ for control orders
On a rather more serious note, for those of us who are not lizard god believing psychics, there is the continuing problem of ‘Control Orders’ and ‘secret evidence’ following the Lords ruling in July in AF.
I haven’t had time yet to read the judgment but Frances Gibb, legal editor of The Times, has a useful report on a case heard recently by Mr Justice Collins who stated “There was “an irreducible minimum” of information that had to be provided even in the case of light control orders. “The approach to disclosure is the same for any control order,”
The Government’s attempt to restrict the movements of terror suspects through “control-lite” orders suffered another setback at the High Court yesterday. The new orders are an attempt by the Home Secretary, Alan Johnson, to maintain the beleaguered control order system after they were condemned in July by the House of Lords. The system came under fire because it relies on the use of “secret evidence” to restrict the freedom of suspects who cannot be prosecuted for reasons of national security. Ministers recently sought a way around the problem by introducing the concept of orders imposing lighter, more limited obligations on controlees that they said did not require them to disclose further evidence.”
Jon Ronins, writing in The Times, asks:
Whatever happened to the radical lawyers?
I did laugh when I read this… “The suggestion that legal radicalism may be a thing of the past elicits a heartfelt groan from Roger Smith, director of Justice. “There are a number of baby-boomers who came into the profession in the 1970s, now retiring and feeling old and crabby.” They went through “the heyday of legal aid and frankly made a lot of money”. “Many were able to wear their hearts on their sleeves and keep a full wallet in their back pocket. The grumpy old men should shut up and take their pension.”
Always good to get a sense of perspective. I’ve done a couple of podcasts (Most recently for The Law Society Gazette) with Roger Smith and he can always be relied on to analyse and provide perspective.
And finally… props to Paul Waugh on his blog for the Evening Standard for this…
Put Swiss cow bells on electric cars – Tory health spokesman
Now, here’s a lovely moment from the House of Lords, proving that eccentricity is not yet dead in Parliament.
During Transport Questions, peers were struggling with the dangers posed by electric cars (they are too quiet for pedestrians etc).
Shadow health minister Lord McColl* then came up with a startling proposal:
“My Lords, does the Minister accept that there might be a simpler solution? When I purchased one of these cars a few years ago, my wife, being very practical, said that the answer would be to put on the front of the car a small Swiss cowbell….”
This fictitious solicitor is not called Icke, is he?
surely the european court has held lizard gods incompatible with human rights.
though lord hoffman has for obvious reasons had to disagree.
James… anything is possible in the world I appear to inahbit!
SW – Lord H’s wife has no known affiliations to Lizards or psychics… so he should be OK on this one.
i thought she was quite close to one who inhabited lounges, if you follow me.
‘The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003’…
Huh???
White Rabbit… Yes… indeed… a far cry from the days of Old Blighty we knew as lads…
Fancy sailing for FRANCE… where a degree of gallic sanity still prevails and they don’t put up with any nonsense about any forms of MUMBO JUMBERY?
though they do tip their nuclear waste straight into the sea. the grass is greener over there and the water far more luminous.