Reply to: Oh dear (tm): Blair hit by Saudi bribery threat

[AtW]

I like UK legal system because it seems to be more based on common sense rather than specific wording of the law - this may sound wrong, but from what I have observed in person in court and from other cases it seems to be the case: most certainly so when you compare justice system in other countries like fecked up Russia, or even democratic USA - at least in the UK you can't file ridiculous lawsuit claiming millions of moral damages and crap like that.

Ok solicitors are ripping people off because the Law Society controls supply of solicitors (effectively a monopoly), but still, the justice can be had in UK courts and while in some cases it may fail, still in general, in vast majority of cases it works very well.

Sure the Govt is fking things up - basically instead of putting more money into police to make better cases for court system they go the cheap route to make it easier to convict people - this is very wrong, but what the heck you want from the Executive - they do that everywhere, and luckily the Judicial system in the UK is independent and can stick up the Govt when necessary.

[Nipple Clamp]

I was in court once (and won), and regularly read about legal cases - so far the impression is more than favourable: UK courts make very good balanced decisions, in some criminal cases they are too lax, but that's because Govt does not build enough prisons and effectively forces them avoid imprisonment, the fault is on the Executive branch.

Gotta say, AtW, these days you seem to have a pretty impressive knowledge of UK legal principles, and I think Zoggoth was wrong to denigrate that a few months back.

There's a world of a difference between being clued up on the law generally, versus having a geekily encyclopedic knowledge of specific clauses and provisions of dreary recent statutes - One is history and the other train spotting.

After all, if people disdain past principles and hard-won safeguards, and are ignorant of them, then how will they know when this scumbag fascist government stealthily abolishes them?

[sappatz]

Blair

Tony Blair is as corrupt morally as the saudi princes anyway..
He will be doing a deal soon with Syria and sacrifice Israel interests in order to save his ass in Irak.

[ImNotFromIndia]

I have rose tinted glasses ... Want to borrow?

[AtW]

Political investigations where Govt was able to appoint judge that they knew will rule in their favour does not count because it is really not part of the Justice system - even though they mave had a former judge on it.

I read about plenty of cases and looked at plenty of decisions - they seem to be very reasonable, to appreciate that you need to live in a sh1t 3rd world country where everything is so corrupt that even citizens of that country have to carry passports around to avoid having to pay brides to police.

[threaded]

The really interesting thing about all this is that the UK Govs IT systems are presided over by such clueless fsckwits that a sieve has more security and yet even though masses of evidence is leaked all over the internet the main-line media never present it for public consumption.

[ImNotFromIndia]

Hypothetically speaking, hows about, say, I know a judge made a judgement and wrote it all out on his notes system, and then the government came and told him to make an opposite judgement and gave him the whole finding...

Or appoint a judge who is your friend.
His name is Hutton.

[threaded]

Yes, but at least it smells of roses...

Hypothetically speaking, hows about, say, I know a judge made a judgement and wrote it all out on his notes system, and then the government came and told him to make an opposite judgement and gave him the whole finding...

[AtW]

You listen too much to the propaganda.

Yes, but at least it smells of roses...

[threaded]

I was in court once (and won), and regularly read about legal cases - so far the impression is more than favourable: UK courts make very good balanced decisions, in some criminal cases they are too lax, but that's because Govt does not build enough prisons and effectively forces them avoid imprisonment, the fault is on the Executive branch.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Loony

You listen too much to the propaganda.

[AtW]

All I'm saying is that you have too much faith in the British Democracy/Legal systems.

I was in court once (and won), and regularly read about legal cases - so far the impression is more than favourable: UK courts make very good balanced decisions, in some criminal cases they are too lax, but that's because Govt does not build enough prisons and effectively forces them avoid imprisonment, the fault is on the Executive branch.

[ImNotFromIndia]

Don't confuse morale and legal issues - invasion in Iraq is legal under UK laws.

True enoug...

All I'm saying is that you have too much faith in the British Democracy/Legal systems. To think that the PM or anyone else would let that BAE contract goes to another country ... you would be sadly mistaken. Let's face it, other countries would only happen to pay the bribe!!!

[AtW]

The PM/President are willing to kill thousands in the national interest.

Don't confuse morale and legal issues - invasion in Iraq is legal under UK laws.

[ImNotFromIndia]

... simply don't understand how is it the PM or the President can't just pick up a phone and stop investigation.

Really?
The PM/President are willing to kill thousands in the national interest. So you think they will not do it to save their skin and votes?

[AtW]

Surely PM can't just call off the investigation - that would be obstruction of justice and he simple can't possibly legally do anything like this, especially now that it was leaked - probably intentionally just to tell Saudis that since it is known they can't do anything: the guys from authoritarian regimes simply don't understand how is it the PM or the President can't just pick up a phone and stop investigation.