Safety first?

Targeting lawyers has a long history and it is very tempting for politicians to make them the scapegoats for social problems which they have failed to tackle adequately themselves. Safety for the public and redress for those injured by the fault of others is a good example. On 5 January the prime minister gave strong support to insurers in their perennial effort to minimise the cost of compensating those harmed by dangerous or irresponsible actions. When viewed alongside the changes recommended by Lord Justice Jackson in his recent report on costs in civil proceedings—which the government has accepted—the hardship of accident victims could increase dramatically.

Moral matters

Since the industrial revolution, the protection of workers from the risk of injury has been a constant struggle. Governments and employers have used all their economic and political power to avoid the cost of safety measures. Since the development of the internal combustion engine, there has been similar resistance to the protection of the public