header-logo header-logo

Talking heads

13 March 2015 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7644 / Categories: Opinion , Human rights
printer mail-detail

Roger Smith follows some figures of speech

Praise, from wherever it comes, is to be treasured. Thus, Ministers must have been heartened by recognition of improved police accountability in the UK from Thorbjørn Jagland, the secretary general of the Council of Europe. He wrote for The Guardian: “When [the Council] first came here in the 1990s we found a police force acting as its own judge and jury. The current system is not without critics, but no one can deny that the creation of the Independent Police Complaints Commission has changed the landscape dramatically. The England and Wales Inspectorate of Prisons has also been an outrider—the first of its kind on the continent. It’s no surprise that, in developing their own systems, the French and others look to the UK for inspiration.”

Jagland put this blessing in the overall context of praise for the UK’s stand against torture: “In our efforts to unearth torture, the Council of Europe has seen many grave things. But we have also seen what is possible when governments commit

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Writing in NLJ this week, Thomas Rothwell and Kavish Shah of Falcon Chambers unpack the surprise inclusion of a ban on upwards-only rent reviews in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
back-to-top-scroll