Month: July 2003

The BBC, Britain’s state media giant, in under unprecedented attack for its part in events leading the death of David Kelly. It has been blamed by MP Robert Jackson for the apparent suicide of the weapons expert. The BBC justified its broadcasting of uncorroborated allegations about the government “sexing up” a dossier on Iraqi weapons…

Jeffrey Archer will again take his seat in parliament on his release from prison, according to press reports. Archer is a legislator-for-life and so not subject to election. He also holds the feudal title of “Lord” and will expect to be addressed as “My Lord” by honest citizens.

A report by the Labour Party affiliated Fabian Society has recommended that Britain keep a hereditary head of state. It does say that the monarch should no longer head the state church, however. And it calls for the hereditary ruler to lose the mainly formal powers to dissolve parliament, select the prime minister and approve…

Ten per cent or more of the population should be compelled to use the Internet for their tax returns and when using government services, according to a report for the Work Foundation (formally the Industrial Society). The authors make the remarkable claim that the state is “subsidising” taxpayers who are have Internet access and are…

Legislators in the House of Lords have rejected government proposals to limit the right to trial by jury, in another demonstration of the bizarre nature of Britain’s democracy. The proposals contained in the criminal justice bill had been agreed by a majority of the democratic legislators in the House of Commons, who are rarely willing…

The annual report of the BBC has been compared to that of disgraced US energy company Enron by MP Chris Bryant. He said that it was “just about the most complacent report I have ever seen.” Mr Bryant later apologised for his remarks following protests from the state broadcaster. The tax funded media giant reported…

The government intends to keep the power to veto the appointment of judges when a new judicial appointments commission is formed to take over this function from the abolished feudal office of Lord Chancellor. This setback to the separation of executive and judiciary was announced on Monday by constitutional affairs secretary and legislator-for-life Falconer as…

Chief Justice Woolf, Britain’s most senior judge, has criticised the way in which the feudal office of Lord Chancellor was abolished recently. He told a gathering of judges that this raised “questions as to whether our constitution provides the protection it should for our constitutional institutions.” The Chief Justice is also a legislator-for-life and considers…

A Canadian court judge has rejected a claim that the Canadian Charter of Rights invalidates the British Act of Settlement’s requirement that restricts succession to the Throne to Protestants. A Ontario Superior Court judge suggested that ruling in favour of the claim made by Tony O’Donohue, a Catholic of Irish descent, might lead to civil…