Justice

Slowly but surely we begin to pull off the quay with another letter from Old-Blighty. The envelope, weighed down with stamps, ensuring her Majesty has her "dues", even for the words we create in our own time and our own volition.  Well that's how it used to be.  The mail train to the docks, the ship off to its destination. Dark men swarming all over lifting, carrying,  uniformed officials in white shorts (sometimes a comb in the sock) keeping an eye (no more) on things. Everything in place.  Back in the cool of his office Cecil played an even greater roll in ensuring each letter was pigeon holed to its destination, men with  white pith helmets and a bicycle completed the journey and the letter plopped into box at the garden gate.
 
What a journey that was.   Now all I do is press "send" and within a second or two its nestling in your email providers server ready to be read.  
 
Its often the case as one flicks over the T V channels one inadvertently lands on something that captures the attention to such an extent that one is absorbed for a long time.
It could be a play or a film, it could be a wildlife feature or a sporting event but for me yesterday it was a 5 hour session of one of the parliamentary committees that are broadcast over here.
They were dealing with a bill which is supposed to effect the process of a Defamation Claim as it proceeds through the court. Many questions were raised about the circumventing of justice and free speech as well as  a lack of transparency.  The use of money and privilege to block, through the courts, anyone who has a disparaging tale to tell.
 
The committee drew on the views of various people who were concerned or connected.
 
Tom Bower the author was vitriolic in his dismissal of the courts to be even handed in their judgment.  He has written many books damming the behaviour of the rich and famous, Jonathan Aitkin
Robert Maxwell, Richard Desmond to name a few.  Injunctions to prevent publication, highly paid lawyers to sieve through each paragraph comma and full stop to redefine "meaning".
The beauty and the devil lies within the English language with words that have more than one meaning and are therefore exposed to argument in court at whether malice was intended.
He was damming of some  high court judges virtually levelling the charge that they were in bed so to speak with the rich and famous.  Drawn from the same pool, same school, same club, same old, he sighted the case where the judge had been directed twice from the court of appeal but had ignored their decision and found for the wealthy litigant in refusing to allow publication. He claimed that his only recourse to justice was through the jury system where the judge is helpless in deciding the verdict.
It is in fact the "jury system" that is under threat as the Government wants, in this bill, to do away with jury's and try the cases by a judge only. 
As ever more we slide down the slope of equal representation into a world where the rich increasingly run roughshod over much of society and national politics bends and is subservient to a world  driven by financiers and the IMF, we are heading for a very sad time. 
Austerity is the only game in town, well it is for some. Those who now command the financial heights must be excused, no fault, no fine and certainly no pain !!!
 
At the point of going on to be a pain, I will sign off and give your eyes a rest.