The news at the weekend that British national atheist Professor Richard Dawkin is planning to arrest the Pope caught my attention. I commented on this in my weekly ‘Postcard’ yesterday.
What bloggers need to know about defamation
A useful article: “This is a guest post by barrister James Tumbridge (pic right) following a report by Iain Dale highlighting the difficulties which Labour blogger Alex Hilton (pic left) faces. It is a cautionary tale for us all…..”
The election campaign is under way and is settling in to be unpleasant and dirty. Pundit and commentator Mark Pack had this wonderful extract from the Labour Manifesto from 2005. It needs no further comment.
Plan to end ‘gold digger’ divorces
The Times reports: “ONE of Britain’s leading family lawyers, Baroness Deech, says that assets built up before a marriage should be excluded from divorce settlements. Deech, the chairwoman of the Bar Standards Board, said the country should adopt European-style divorce laws to bring an end to bitter and expensive legal battles and to deter “gold diggers” from marrying for money. Under the proposed overhaul, only assets — including cash and property —acquired during the marriage would be subject to the divorce settlement. Individually owned or inherited assets would be protected.”
While David Cameron is proposing to strengthen the family with a £150 tax bonus and they say that Labour makes it more profitable to get divorced, Family lawyers will, possibly, be perturbed by Baroness Deech’s latest cunning plan. I remain of the view, from a secularist stance, that the State shouldn’t be involved in marital arrangements between consenting adults and certainly we should not have to have judges being involved in dissolving such relationships. I can see absolutely no sensible reason why two adults cannot make whatever arrangements appeal to them without interference. If they have children, it is not unreasonable that the judiciary should ensure that the interests of the children are protected. But…there we are…as I have said on many occasions, I am not a family lawyer. I specialise in Contract and Contract law is more than capable of addressing disputes between individuals at to what they have agreed. It matters not what I think … the State will go on interfering for the forseeable future.
Illegal migrant found guilty of conning law chief Baroness Scotland over job
Baroness Scotland, the attorney-general, has been vindicated by a jury who convicted her cleaner last week of fraud. I am not sure if we have the answer yet to the perfectly reasonable question put by commenters if Baroness Scotland paid Tax and NI on her cleaner’s wages. This is a matter between her and HM Revenue & Customs and they, no doubt, are on top of the matter?. The Times has the story.
Some people are never satisfied. The jury has found the cleaner guilty. the ravening horde on The Times Comments section are, however, not satisfied.
A selection of negative comments for your delectation and delight…
It’s rather a pity that Professor Dawkins didn’t instruct that well known civil liberties lawyer Cherry Booth QC in this interesting matter.
Many thanks for the link to James Tumbridge’s defamation article. Most useful.
The law of defamation seems to be having a chilling effect on freedom of speech. Reform appears to be needed though I am far from expert enough to be able to say precisely how. Unfortunately, promising to reform this kind of topic is not exactly a vote-winner out here on the mean streets of modern Britain.
What the defamed need to know about this blogger: I ain’t worth sueing…
*exit cackling evilly*
White Rabbit… moi aussi…. 🙂