For anyone interested in how the law is working, there’s a lot of good fun to be had from the Law Society Gazette. I’m going to be picking up anything that seizes my attention and writing about it here. The articles themselves can be an interesting source of information but even more fun are the comments. Always look at the comments to the articles because the lawyers who comment are usually the ones at the coal face and have the real life experience the journalist authors don’t.
In the comments on this article Richard Hallam points out the Home Secretary’s apparent ignorance or carelessness about the criminal justice system. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, refers repeatedly to the offences she wishes to review as ‘counter-terrorism offences’ – counter-terrorism is the work of the police and others to prevent and deter terrorism – when she means terrorism offences.
“I have very little faith that a Home Secretary who can give interviews talking repeatedly about “counter terrorism” offences understands anything very much about the criminal justice system, and has any concern about speaking precisely or accurately, rather than sounding off for political effect.”