If the rule of law is to be upheld, it is vital that there should be an independent judiciary. This fact appears lost on Brexiter rabble-rousers. This voluble, influential political sect has unleashed gales of fury on the high court judges who ruled that only parliament has the authority to trigger article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, the legal route for Britain to leave the EU. Leading the charge are rightwing newspapers, which claim themselves to be champions of free speech and traditional British liberties. Yet since the Brexit vote they have sought to delegitimise their opponents’ views and silence them through intimidation.Yes, that's the 'Guardian' op-ed this morning. The 'Guardian', the paper that went the extra mile to excuse the mob they helped to whip up in 2012, now criticising people who feel cheated over Brexit (but haven't done any more than express that displeasure vocally).
I'd laugh at the blatant hypocrisy, if I wasn't already so used to it...
The Guardian is correct, must be a first, the independence of the judiciary is sacrosanct. Forgetting of course so is the majority will of the people and that trumps the judiciary. Having jury trials epitomises that fact whereby a representative group of the people takes the advice of a judge and either acts or not on it. Juries have the right to ignore judges. Judges do not have the right to ignore the people and in this particular case they have done just that. Maybe this argument is open to attack for a variety of reasons because of the convoluted way that we humans think. However I believe this argument is more persuasive than any other as it conforms to the basic concept of modern day democracy "rule by the people". Government and all it's agencies who only rule on behalf of the people being subject to that rule.
ReplyDeleteIt can be argued that modern day democracy is flawed which I believe it is as I subscribe to this far more learned person than me's thinking and I quote " Those who took the road to democracy to be the road to freedom mistook temporary means for an ultimate end". True democracy or more accurately freedom is yet to come. Perhaps the next step direct representation not as it is now through a middle man an MP. When we are ready which will necessitate the population to grow in maturity.
"It can be argued that modern day democracy is flawed..."
ReplyDeleteThere's a lot of unhappy Yanks saying that now!