Category: Law

Law articles mainly focussed on UK law and legal matters.

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BBC Breaking News Alerts

BBC

The amount of BBC News notifications that aren’t worthy of the title of “Breaking News” appears to be increasing and is ridiculous.

The BBC used to used Breaking News alerts for only the most serious newsworthy events.

Today’s BBC News Alert “Eurovision 2023: Hosts include Graham Norton and Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham” Is this really Breaking News ? I don’t think so !

According to the article It’s time you turned off all those breaking news push notifications from Wired in 2017

“Nick Sutton, mobile and online editor for BBC News, says the corporation’s UK news app pushes out alerts to 3.5 million people, with as many has half a million immediately clicking the link on a big story.“

No doubt the number of subscribers of BBC News Alerts has increased in the last 6 years.

The BBC News Alerts page states :-

“Push notifications are available to users of smartphones and tablets who download the BBC News App, allowing you to receive breaking news alerts.“

A FOI request made in 2018 to the BBC Criteria for Pushing “Breaking News” Alerts to Mobile Devices was rejected as quite handily the BBC have a legal exemption under the Freedom of Information Act 2000

“Part VI of Schedule 1 to FOIA provides that information held by the BBC and the other public service broadcasters is only covered by the Act if it is held for ‘purposes other than those of journalism, art or literature”. The BBC is not required to supply information held for the purposes of creating the BBC’s output or information that supports and is closely associated with these creative activities.“

Is an irrelevant Breaking News Alert really an act of journalism, art or literature ? Who in the BBC authorises the dissemination of such trivial news ?

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Rogue Family Lawyers

According to ChatGPT Artificial Intelligence (AI) when asked the following question about rogue family lawyers including rogue solicitors and barristers :-

“Write 500 words about rogue family lawyers in the UK“

Family law can be a complex and emotionally charged area, which makes it all the more important for clients to find a competent and trustworthy lawyer to represent their interests.

Unfortunately, there have been instances of rogue family lawyers in the UK who engage in unethical or illegal behavior, thereby causing harm to their clients and damaging the reputation of the legal profession.

One common issue is that of lawyers who fail to properly manage their clients’ cases, leading to significant delays and resulting in their clients losing out on a fair resolution. This can happen when lawyers do not keep their clients informed about the progress of their case, or neglect to file necessary documents on time, or when they provide poor quality legal representation. These types of rogue lawyers can cause serious harm to their clients, who may be left without the financial or emotional support they need during a difficult time.

Another issue is that of rogue lawyers who charge exorbitant fees for services that are not provided or performed to a satisfactory standard. This can be particularly problematic in the area of family law, where clients are often going through a stressful and emotional time, and may not be in a position to carefully scrutinize the fees being charged by their lawyer. Rogue lawyers may take advantage of this vulnerability by charging unreasonable fees for services that are not provided, or by adding hidden charges to their bills.

In addition to these types of unethical behavior, there have also been instances of rogue family lawyers who engage in illegal activities such as fraud or embezzlement. This can occur when lawyers misuse funds from their clients’ accounts, or when they provide false information to clients about their financial situation or the status of their case. These types of rogue lawyers can cause serious financial harm to their clients, and can also damage the reputation of the legal profession.

To protect clients from rogue family lawyers, the UK has several regulatory bodies, such as the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) and the Bar Standards Board (BSB), which are responsible for monitoring the conduct of lawyers and taking disciplinary action against those who engage in unethical or illegal behavior. Clients who feel they have been the victim of a rogue family lawyer can also make a complaint to these bodies, who will investigate the matter and take appropriate action.

In conclusion, while the majority of family lawyers in the UK are competent and professional, there are instances of rogue lawyers who engage in unethical or illegal behavior, causing harm to their clients and damaging the reputation of the legal profession.

It is important for clients to do their due diligence and choose a reputable lawyer, and for regulatory bodies to enforce high standards of conduct for all family lawyers in the UK.

The Legal Ombudsman was set up by the Office for Legal Complaints (OLC) and established under the Legal Services Act 2007. Their job is to help resolve disputes between consumers and legal service providers.

The Legal Services Act 2007 allows the OLC to publish reports of investigations or Ombudsman decisions if it considers it “appropriate to do so in any particular case”

Click here to see if your family lawyer or family law firm is listed

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Harry and Meghan Official Trailer Netflix YouTube Comments or Racism ?

Harry and Meghan Official Trailer
Harry and Meghan Official Trailer Netflix

On the 5th December 2022 Netflix published on YoutTube the official trailer for the upcoming 6 part series Harry and Meghan. The upcoming series and timing has divided opinion especially in light of the passing of the most beloved Queen Elizabeth II.

This is an historical and easily searchable excel and pdf archive of the comments made on the Harry & Meghan – Official Trailer video published by Netflix on YouTube. Is this just comment, free speech or racism?

Harry & Meghan – Official Trailer – Netflix – Youtube Comments 10am 061222 PDF VersionDownload
Harry & Meghan – Official Trailer – Netflix – Youtube Comments 10am 061222 Excel VersionDownload

At 10am on the 6th December 2022 there were 15K Likes and 119K dislikes. There were over 14K comments.

Harry and Meghan Official Trailer Netflix Stats

YouTube dislikes are hidden on all videos. Easily show dislikes for any YouTube video using the Return YouTube Dislike browser plugin.

Isn’t it wonderful that comments both positive and negative have been made from around the world.

In the UK free speech is protected by common law and Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

However you should think carefully or take legal advice before using these rights on the Internet in particular.

You should also choose legal advice wisely.

Read the honest review of Gavin Howe Barrister who could appear in Harry & Meghan Season 2 “The Divorce”.

Racism in any form is strongly condoned.

Citizens Advice have produced this interesting article about Discrimination because of race which clearly explains the issue.

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Harry and Meghan Official Teaser Netflix YouTube Comments or Racism ?

Harry and Meghan Netflix

On the 1st December 2022 Netflix published on YoutTube the teaser for the upcoming 6 part series Harry and Meghan. The upcoming series and timing has divided opinion especially in light of the passing of the most beloved Queen Elizabeth II.

This is an historical and easily searchable excel and pdf archive of the comments made on the Harry & Meghan – Official Teaser video published by Netflix on YouTube. Is this just comment, free speech or racism ?

Harry & Meghan – Official Teaser – Netflix – Youtube Comments 8am 061222 Excel VersionDownload
Harry & Meghan – Official Teaser – Netflix – Youtube Comments 8am 061222 PDF VersionDownload

At 8am on the 6th December 2022 there were 22K Likes and 280K dislikes. There were over 41K comments.

Harry and Meghan Official Teaser Netflix Stats

YouTube dislikes are hidden on all videos. Easily show dislikes for any YouTube video using the Return YouTube Dislike browser plugin.

Isn’t it wonderful that comments both positive and negative have been made from around the world.

In the UK free speech is protected by common law and Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

However you should think carefully or take legal advice before using these rights on the Internet in particular.

You should also choose legal advice wisely.

Read the honest review of Gavin Howe Barrister who could appear in Harry & Meghan Season 2 “The Divorce”.

Racism in any form is strongly condoned.

Citizens Advice have produced this interesting article about Discrimination because of race which clearly explains the issue.

If you haven’t see the Harry & Meghan | Official Teaser | Netflix here it is:-

Harry & Meghan | Official Teaser | Netflix

According to the Daily Mail “The King and Queen Consort are ‘wearied’ by the constant attacks from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex”

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Criminal Barristers to go on Strike

Criminal barristers in England and Wales have voted in favour of an all-out strike.

The walkout by members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) in England and Wales will begin on 5 September 2022 and will be go on an indefinitely and uninterrupted.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) vice chairwoman Kirsty Brimelow QC said this is a ‘last-resort action’ over a demand for less money than it costs the Government for the courts to sit empty. 

Justice Minister Sarah Dines said: ‘This is an irresponsible decision that will only see more victims face further delays and distress.

‘The escalation of strike action is wholly unjustified considering we are increasing criminal barristers’ fees by 15%, which will see the typical barrister earn around £7,000 more a year.’

The median pay for a junior barrister was £12,700 per year.

According to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ), more than 6,000 court hearings have been disrupted a result of the dispute over conditions and Government-set fees for legal aid advocacy work.

Courts in England and Wales are already dealing with a large backlog of cases. Data from HM Courts and Tribunal Service at the end of April show there were 58,271 cases waiting to go to trial.

The Criminal Bar Association CBA is asking for a 25% rise in pay for legal aid work, when they represent defendants who could not otherwise afford lawyers.

The Bar Standards Board regulates barristers and specialised legal services businesses in England and Wales in the public interest.

Maybe the Criminal Barristers should retrain in Family Law and earn fees of £4500.00 +VAT like barrister Gavin Howe does for a 2 day hearing ?

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Partygate Sue Gray Findings 25th May 2022

CDU Cabinet Office

Findings of Second Permanent Secretary’s Investigation Into Alleged Gatherings On Government Premises During COVID Restrictions written by Sue Gray from the Cabinet Office

Against the backdrop of the pandemic, when the Government was asking citizens to accept far-reaching restrictions on their lives, some of the behaviour surrounding these gatherings is difficult to justify.

Many will be dismayed that behaviour of this kind took place on this scale at the heart of Government. The public have a right to expect the very highest standards of behaviour in such places and clearly what happened fell well short of this.

Read the Sue Gray Findings Here

2022-05-25_FINAL_FINDINGS_OF_SECOND_PERMANENT_SECRETARY_INTO_ALLEGED_GATHERINGSDownload
Boris and Rishi
Cheers !

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Privilege Motion Parliamentary Debate on Partygate

UK Parliament Thursday 21st April 2022

  1. The UK government drops an attempt to delay a Commons probe into whether Boris Johnson misled MPs about lockdown parties
  2. MP’s will vote later on a Labour plan to open an investigation into the prime minister’s previous comments
  3. The government had put up its own changes to the original published motion, putting off a vote until all official probes are over. However, the amendment was dropped shortly before the debate began at 11:30 BST

Watch the debate at parliamentlive.tv. The debate started at 11:36 BST.

The main business will be a privilege motion.

Order Paper 147 Thursday 21 Apr 2022Download

That this House
(1) notes that, given the issue of fixed penalty notices by the police in relation to events in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office, assertions the Rt hon Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip has made on the floor of the House about the legality of activities in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office under Covid regulations, including but not limited to the following answers given at Prime Minister’s Questions: 1 December 2021, that “all guidance was followed in No. 10”, Official Report vol. 704, col. 909; 8 December 2021 that “I have been repeatedly assured since these allegations emerged that there was no party and that no Covid rules were broken”, Official Report vol. 705, col. 372; 8 December 2021 that “I am sickened myself and furious about that, but I repeat what I have said to him: I have been repeatedly assured that the rules were not broken”, Official Report vol. 705, col. 372 6 Thursday 21 April 2022 OP No.147: Part 1 Business Today: Chamber and 8 December 2021 “the guidance was followed and the rules were followed at all times”, Official Report vol. 705, col. 379, appear to amount to misleading the House; and (2) orders that this matter be referred to the Committee of Privileges to consider whether
the Rt hon Member’s conduct amounted to a contempt of the House, but that the Committee shall not begin substantive consideration of the matter until the inquiries currently being conducted by the Metropolitan Police have been concluded.
Amendment (a)
Line 1, leave out from “House” to end and insert: “notes that the Prime Minister has accepted mistakes were made in relation to events in 10 Downing Street and the Cabinet Office under Covid regulations and has
apologised to the House and to the country; further notes that a police investigation is yet to be concluded into those events and that following the conclusion of that investigation the report of the related Cabinet Office investigation will be published; and accordingly considers that a decision on whether to refer the matter of the Prime Minister’s responses to the House in relation to those events in the Cabinet Office and No 10 Downing Street to the Committee on Privileges should be taken at such time as that police investigation has officially concluded and the report following the Cabinet Office investigation has been published and subject to Mr Speaker considering that any such future motion should be given precedence as a matter of privilege thereafter for debate and decision by the House.”

A motion is a proposal put forward for debate or decision in the House of Commons or House of Lords. A motion must be proposed (moved) before any debate or vote can take place in Parliament.

A privileged motion is a motion that is granted precedence over ordinary business because it concerns matters of great importance or urgency. Such motions are not debatable, although in case of questions of privilege, the chair may feel the need to elicit relevant facts from members.

Erskine May is the authoritative book on parliamentary law and practice. It’s a description of how procedure in the House of Commons and House of Lords has evolved and the conventions that apply, rather than a set of rules.

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Would you send Jesus to Rwanda ?

A Good Morning Britain debate on government plans to send migrants to Rwanda posed the interesting question to Energy Minister Greg Hands “Would you send Jesus to Rwanda ?”

Were Jesus, Mary and Joseph what we would consider today “refugees”?

The answer is YES as Jesus and his family were forced to flee their homeland for fear of persecution. This is the classic modern-day definition of a refugee.

The government have claimed the £120million five-year plan would help to break people-smuggling networks and stem the flow of migrants across the Channel. Would it ?

The Archbishop of Canterbury The Most Revd Justin Welby who is the 105th Archbishop of Canterbury, was critical of the plan as “ungodly”

0:00 and this season is also
0:04 why there are such serious ethical
0:06 questions
0:08 about sending asylum seekers
0:10 overseas
0:12 the details are for politics and
0:15 politicians
0:16 the principle
0:19 must stand the judgment of god
0:22 and it cannot
0:25 it cannot carry the weight of
0:28 resurrection justice it cannot carry the
0:31 weight of life conquering death
0:34 it cannot carry the weight of the
0:36 resurrection
The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Ecumenical Easter Letter 2022

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Divorce Law

legislation

Divorce law in England and Wales is changing from the 6th April 2022, with the introduction of no fault divorce. This means that couples will be able to get divorced without one person needing to lay blame on the other. This change will also be applied to civil partnership dissolution.

Couples told to be wary of ‘greedy’ lawyers

Here is a breakdown written by Co-op legal services of what the divorce law reforms look like and how no fault divorce will work after these changes have come into effect.

1. Divorce can be granted without one person (spouse) blaming the other

The most important element of no fault divorce is, of course, the removal of fault or blame from the divorce process. Under the new laws, couples will be able to get divorced solely on the basis that the marriage has broken down, without needing to cite one of the 5 reasons for divorce (as is currently required).

This means that if the couple agrees to a divorce and the divorce is amicable or uncontested, there won’t be a requirement for one person to blame the other for the breakdown of the marriage.

2. Couples will be able to apply for divorce jointly

Under current laws, one spouse needs to issue divorce proceedings against the other. The person who starts the divorce is called the petitioner and the other person is called the respondent. Under the no fault divorce system, both people will be able to make the application jointly. 

3. Divorce terminology will be updated

Some of the wording used in the divorce process has been flagged as outdated, so this is being brought up to date. The person applying for the divorce will be called the applicant, instead of the petitioner. The decree nisi will become the conditional order and the decree absolute will be called the final order.

4. There will be a minimum of 20 weeks between the application and conditional order

A minimum timeframe of 20 weeks is being introduced between the application and the conditional order. This timeframe has been introduced to counter concerns that the reforms will make divorce a quicker and easier option for couples than trying to save their marriage. This ‘period of reflection’ will give couples an opportunity to reflect and work through their differences before committing to a divorce.

There will then be a minimum 6 week period between the conditional order and the final order.

Another option for couples is to enter into a separation agreement, which is a written agreement outlining the terms of the separation. A separation agreement will not end the marriage, but it can enable both people to agree on the terms of the separation.

5. It will no longer be possible to contest a divorce

Under the current system, one person submits a divorce petition, citing their spouse’s behaviour or a period of separation as the reason for the divorce, and their spouse can contest this. This is exactly what has happened in the high-profile divorce case of Tini and Hugh Owens. Under the new no fault divorce system, this option will be removed.

Current divorce process in England and Wales

In order to be granted a divorce in England or Wales, the court needs to be convinced that the marriage has irretrievably broken down, to a point where it can’t be saved.

Under current laws, unless a couple lives separately for at least 2 years they can only get a divorce if one person blames the other for this irretrievable breakdown of their marriage, and this must fall into the category of either adultery or unreasonable behaviour.

These blame-based options are two of 5 legally recognised reasons for the breakdown of a marriage under current laws. 

Source: Co-op legal services

Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020

Divorce-Dissolution-and-Separation-Act-2020Download

The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 (Commencement) Regulations 2022 states :

The-Divorce-Dissolution-and-Separation-Act-2020-Commencement-Regulations-2022Download

“The Divorce, Dissolution and Separation Act 2020 comes into force on 6th April 2022 in so far as it is not already in force.”

The gov.uk website has various help and guidance on Crime, justice and the law.

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Can a Woman have a Penis?

A simple question, you might imagine. Activists from three of the largest campaign groups on women’s rights @WomensRightsNet @WomenUnitingUK @SexMattersOrg are urging the public to demand EVERY politician standing in next month’s elections can answer that simple question.

Local elections are happening on 5th May 2022.

“Tell candidates: Respect My Sex If You Want My ‘X’!”

The simple answer to this question is of course YES. It is surprising that the leader of the Labour Party Sir Keir Starmer was unable to answer such a simple question.

Read more at the Daily Mail

In June 2022 Keir Starmer said on LBC ‘vast majority’ of women ‘don’t have a penis‘ and need safe spaces

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wu0pAp0Z9vo

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Rule of Law - Open Justice - Policing By Consent

Access To Justice Is A Right Not A Privilege
Equal Justice Under Law