Key Quotes - The Law

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Last update: Wednesday 25th March




The Executive Director of the Christian Legal Centre has called the interim guidelines on assisted suicide in England and Wales a ‘profoundly mistaken policy’. Although the guidelines from the Director of Public Prosecutions are subject to public consultation, barrister Andrea Williams said: ‘We should learn from other jurisdictions where assisted suicide has been legalised. Research shows that elderly and vulnerable people are seeing themselves as a burden on their families and being under a “duty to die”. ‘We are concerned that the system will be open to abuse and to an ever-widening application, which has been observed in previous cases in our own legal history where laws have been injudiciously liberalised.’ The guidelines were drawn up after the Law Lords asked for clarification of the grounds on which someone would be prosecuted for assisting a suicide.
The Law	The War Cry - 10 October 2009



It was reported in August that lawyers have asked the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester to answer allegations that police officers intimidated a street preacher and falsely accused him of ‘inciting hatred with homophobic and racial comments’. Volunteer evangelist Miguel Hayworth (29), and his 55-year-old father, were approached by three policemen as he was reading passages from the Bible in St. Ann’s Square. The Christian Legal Centre has taken up the case.
The Law	Evangelicals Now - October 2009



A law allowing 16-year old pupils to opt out of collective worship in school degrades the status of faith, Dr Barry Morgan, the Archbishop of Wales has warned. His warning followed the Welsh Assembly’s decision to join England in passing a law allowing pupils aged 16 and over to withdraw from collective worship without parental consent.
The Law	Salvationist- August 2009



Shari’a courts across the UK are hearing cases brought by non-Muslims who find the process ‘less cumbersome’ than the English legal system. The Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT) says 5% of its cases now come from non-Muslims. Under the Arbitration Act 1996, shari’a courts can have their rulings upheld in courts of England and Wales.
The Law	Evangelicals Now- August 2009



Changing the law on assisted suicide would have a detrimental effect on the country’s elderly, the Church of England warned this week. In a bold statement the Church said that changing the law to allow those supporting someone in assisted suicide to escape the threat of prosecution would be a wrong step. Elderly people would feel threatened by the legislation, it argued. The statement follows last week’s decision in the House of Lords to instruct the Director OF Public Prosecutions to clarify the law, after an impassioned request from Multiple Sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy. The decision has been hailed as a triumph for supporters of assisted suicide and Mrs Purdy was said to be “ecstatic” as the result.
The Law	The Church Of England- August 2009



A new law in Ireland which makes publication or utterance of blasphemous content a crime punishable by €25,000 fine has attracted the attention of Professor Richard Dawkins. “One of the world’s most beautiful and best loved countries, Ireland has recently become one of the most respected as well… This preposterous blasphemous law puts all that respect at risk,” Professor Dawkins wrote in a message to the new organisation, Atheist Ireland. It was read out at its first annual general meeting.
The Law	Salvationist- July 2009



There are more than 85 unofficial shari’a ‘courts’ operating within the UK, a Civitas report revealed in late June. The courts can have their rulings upheld by civil courts in England and Wales under the 1996 Arbitration Act. There are increasing concerns about the way in which the courts operate, and particularly over their treatment of women. The report, entitled ‘Shari’a Law Or One Law For All?’ calls for a new law to stop shari’a rulings from being legally enforceable.
The Law	Evangelicals Now- July 2009



The Bishop of Carlisle has criticised the Government’s move to increase the maximum stakes and prizes of some gaming machines. Under regulations approved in the House of Lords, the top stake on one category of machine would be doubled from 50p to £1 and the top prize from £35 to £70. “I am completely at a loss to know why we pass laws that seem to encourage the gaming industry to expand – and I believe that this legislation does that.” Bishop Graham Dow said.
The Law	The Church of England– May 2009



An investigation was launched after two immigration staff were revealed to be members of the British National Party (BNP), the UK Border Agency said. The two staff worked in an immigration removal centre until a list of BNP members appeared on the internet in November, according to a UK Border Agency spokesman. After the list was made public, one resigned and another was suspended, he said.
The Law	The Sentinel – 14th January 2009



Swindon has become the first town in the UK to do away with fixed-point speed cameras. The cabinet of the Tory-run council voted unanimously in favour of withdrawing from the Wiltshire And Swindon Safety Camera Partnership. It came after a change to the way fixed-point cameras are funded. Councillors objected to central Government receiving the cash from fines while Swindon council had to pay for the upkeep of the cameras.
The Law	The Sentinel - 23rd October 2008



Innocent people should have their profiles deleted from the National DNA Database, says an inquiry funded by the Government. Even guilty people who have served their time should eventually have their DNA records erased because retaining the profile “continues to criminalise them”, the study concluded. The “citizen’s inquiry” overseen by the Human Genetics Commission urged ministers to take control of the database away from the police and the Home Office, by setting up an independent body to own and control the information. It said some of the panel members believed that “past actions and hidden agendas have shown that the Government cannot be trusted”.
The Law	The Sentinel - July 30th 2008



Online companies like YouTube were urged by MPs today to do more to protect children from the “dark side” of the internet. The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee said it was “unimpressed” that the videosharing website – owned by internet giant Google – made no attempt to vet clips posted by users, which in one case appeared to show a gang rape. Also, the committee said there was a “lax approach” by some sites to remove illegal material. It was “shocking” that the industry standard for removing material containing child abuse was as long as 24 hours. Today’s report said that an industry self-regulatory body should lay down minimum standards for the sector.
The Law	The Sentinel - July 31st 2008



Residents have until Friday to give their views on how Stoke-on-trent should be run. The government is phasing out the existing elected mayor and council manager system from May next year and offering a choice of two replacements. The first options involves an elected mayor who would work with a cabinet of elected councillors to make key decisions and implement policies. The second choice would see a leader chosen by councillors from within there own ranks, who would probably emerge from the dominant political party.
The Law	The Sentinel - August 4th 2008



Up to three million UK motorists could be risking problems by not checking the age and condition of their tyres, according to the RAC Foundation. The foundation is also concerned that 25 per cent of drivers do not know the minimum legal tread depth for car tyres is 1.6 millimetres. Among female drivers, this figure rises to 60 per cent.
The Law	The War Cry – September 6th 2008



A target to halve child poverty by 2010 will not be reached unless the Government invests a further £3 billion in child benefits and tax credits, a coalition of family charities [has] warned. The End Child Poverty campaign, supported by organisations such as the NSPCC and Barnardo’s, said that the money needed is a faction of the £40 billion estimated by the TUC too be the cost of child poverty to the Government in the health care and other public social spending.
The Law	Salvationist & Church Times – September 13th 2008

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