Jack Straw to review Britain's libel laws

[panzerfaust]

Source: Guardian (UK)

The lord chancellor, Jack Straw, is to order a comprehensive review of Britain's much-criticised libel laws, the Ministry of Justice revealed today.

Straw has previously promised to act against libel tourism, fearing Britain's restrictive libel laws are being exploited by plaintiffs with few real links to the UK....

... Straw, speaking to the culture committee last spring, did not seem overly concerned by the issue of libel tourism, but since then there has been growing evidence that lawyers are seeking out cases to bring to trial in the UK. The New York Times and the Washington Post have said they may be forced to stop selling copies in the UK because of the risk of being sued.

In one case, a wealthy Saudi businessman successfully sued a US academic whose book on funding terrorism sold 23 copies in Britain over the internet. He was awarded £130,000 damages and costs by London courts. In another case, a British consultant cardiologist, Dr Peter Wilmshurst, is being sued by an American company, NMT Medical, for questioning the effectiveness of a new heart implant device. Wilmshurst raised his criticism at an American conference and his comments were posted on a US website for three says, but he is being pursued at the high court because a number of cardiologists read the article in Britain.

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/dec/27/jack-straw-review-libel-law

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Finally.

For about the past decade (humm, odd that) the UK's libel courts have become instrumental in suppressing freedom of speech, and thus of democracy itself, throughout the world.

Looked at objectively, many of these cases have no more reason to be filed in the UK than in China - it is just that the way libel laws are written in the UK having standing to file suit is very broad, the burden of proof falls to the defendant, and, in some cases, it is my understanding that even the truth of the allegations is not always a defense.

Rule Britannia!

But, please, not the world's press. Seems as though that was one of our complaints back in 1776?

Now, if they would just also get rid of their parasitic "royal" family and the pathetic non-elected House of "Lords" they might have the makings of an actual democracy.

Well, there is still the Orwellian police state they seem to be sinking into - what with more CCTVs per capital than any nation in the world, uncontrolled police brutality, and a DNA database of their population which was found to violate the European Convention on Human Rights.

[vadawg]

1. lol as long as they do what you think then they will be better lol

you do realise that there are a hell of a lot of royalists in the UK, i look at the senate and it just looks like the house of lords with a different name...

[Jkid]

2. Don't worry.

The House of Lords will be fully elected in the future. However, we're stuck with the royal family.

[panzerfaust]

3. When the Tories win this next election

the first thing they will do is establish an elected upper-chamber?