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28 November 2019 / David Greene
Issue: 7866 / Categories: Opinion , Public , Constitutional law , Human rights
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Standing up for the Rule of Law

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An independent profession & judiciary are by no means a given in many parts of the world, says David Greene

 

The rule of law and the protected status of those who uphold it is, sadly, not a given thing, in 2019. The global political developments of the past few years seem to indicate that we are witnessing a widespread collapse in public confidence in institutions, politicians and experts. The latest Rule of Law Index shows that since 2016, a majority of the 113 countries, including mature democracies, saw their scores decline in the areas of human rights, checks on government powers, and civil and criminal justice.

The rule of law is fundamental to peace, security and political stability. It is fundamental in promoting economic and social progress, and in protecting the rights of the individual. It is the rule of law in the Bingham form that ensures access to public services, that curbs corruption, that prevents the abuse of power and that forms part of the social

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NEWS

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Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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