Talking about Tony Blair’s conversion to Rome, I’ve just heard Alastair Campbell on BBC News 24 saying he didn’t know whether constitutionally a catholic could be Prime Minister, his tentative implication being that that might have been one […]

I was quite sniffy about the Campaign Against the Arms Trade’s judicial review challenge to the government’s decision to abandon its criminal investigation of BAe Systems and the Al Yamamah deal. Well, I’m not now saying I think the […]

I’m glad James Purnell has announced he’ll act to reassure the Russian authorities who’ve threatened to cancel the planned loan of a number of works of art which its intended will be shown in the Royal Academy’s

I stopped in my tracks the other day on Borough High Street when I saw a poster from Liberty telling me the UK detains terrorist suspects longer than anywhere in the western world. Not because I was shocked at […]

I’ve just heard Andrew Dismore, chair of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, speak in support of his ten minute rule bill which aims to “clarify” the meaning of “public function” of the Human Rights Act 1998. What he actually […]

On The World At One yesterday (you can listen again for a while) Lord Falconer justified his conversion from pro-90 days Lord Chancellor to 28 days-and-no-further backbencher oddly forgotten by Peter Hain yesterday. To be fair, he […]

Apparently the Saudi King has pardoned the woman sentenced for being raped (sic) a few weeks ago. Forgive me if I don’t jump up and down making http://www.gooakley.com/ whooping sounds – this is the […]

I agree with Benazir Bhutto that the lifting of the emergency in Pakistan is an important step forward. But what’s really needed is a step backwards, the release of those still detained such as the Supreme Court Chief Justice […]

More bad news for Jacqui Smith, now it turns out that Lord Falconer is against extending detention for terrorist suspects beyond 28 days, joining the DPP, the former Attorney General and apparently even the serving Law Officers […]

Earlier this week the ECJ gave its ruling in case C-438/05 International Transport Workers’ Federation and Finnish Seamen’s Union v Viking Line – often simply called the Viking Line case. It’s the case Lord Wedderburn was […]