Today I am talking to Carl Gardner, barrister, a former government lawyer and author of the Head of Legal blog. We’re discussing the extraordinary case of the arrest of Damien Green MP in the light of the DPP’s decision yesterday not to prosecute him or the home office official who was also arrested. The newspapers state that Green was told by police at the time of his arrest that he could be facing life imprisonment if convicted. Is Jacqui Smith, Home Secretary, on the ropes? *** Links to Carl’s blog posts, the DPP statement and the Home Affairs Committee report may be found on Insite Law magazine under the ‘Listen to podcast’ link below. Listen to the podcast *** podcast version for iTunes

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Lawcast 128:Damian Green MP - the decision of the DPP not to prosecute and the position of The Home Secretary

News up on Insite law together with daily news podcast and updates. Please note that news, professional news, law reports and what is happening on the blogs now have their own sections and these may be accessed through the links on the right hand panel of the Insite Law front page. So… what is the mood following G20? The stock markets, for the moment, have digested the news positively. Nationwide announced that house prices rose last month, but one swallow does not a summer make and one wonders, given that Halifax reported a green shoot but two months ago, whether there is an element of wish fulfilment here and over generous interpretation of data. Robert Peston in his BBC blog is taking the line that G20 is historic, that banking is to be made boring and the increased regulation demanded by the French and Germans is a victory for them - a move away from the free market concepts of the ‘anglo-saxons’.  More editorial…

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3rd April: News up on Insite Law

Is this the Times annual April Fool story?

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April Fool

Rome fiddles while Nero burns? The country is going through the deepest recession since the Second World War, the G20 countries are to meet shortly but it would appear that some people have other things on their minds. Objection! Judges reject new robes The Independent: High Court judiciary say Betty Jackson designs make them look like characters from ‘Star Trek’ The Queen also appears to have matters of State on her mind. Ian Parker-Joseph, leader of The Libertarian Party UK asks if The Queen is thinking of dissolving Parliament following recent trips to The Palace by The Governor of The Bank of England and The Chief of The Defence Staff.  Are we to have a ‘Very British Junta?” Charon QC considers the matter. More fiddling while Rome burns occurred yesterday when a matter of national and pressing importance resulted in Parliament having to discuss this today - The Independent reports: “Royal succession rules may be reformed. Royal succession rules may be reformed. Buckingham Palace and PM in talks to give women equal rights to throne” I cannot really understand why this matter, hardly one of the great issues of our day, has to be resolved now given that The Queen is likely to live for another 20 years and celebrate her 100th birthday and there is no immediate sign of the wayward Princes wishing to marry nice catholic girls…. or is there? The issue has been tabled by Lib-Dem MP Evan Harris, to end the “uniquely discriminatory” rules laid down by the 1701 Act of Settlement. Res ipsa loquitur. Too young to retire at 70? We should work our judges until they are at least 75… In 1916 the Earl of Halsbury heard a case on the Appellate Committee of the House of Lords at 92. The Judicial Pensions and Retirement Act 1993 now provides that judges must retire at 70. The Times: is pre-occupied this morning with the thought that Supreme Court judges should work until they are 75. The news, law reports, an update to blogs and the daily news podcast is now up on Insite Law

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27th March: I bring news of many things…

Is it time to call in the Generals? Yesterday, Ian Parker-Joseph joked, following Governor of the Bank of England Mrvyn King’s audience with The Queen (an event without precedent?),  that it would only be a matter of time before The Queen invityed the Generals in. Well… she has done just that.. or rather, Air Chief Marshal Sir Jock Stirrup (Chief of the Defence Staff) has popped over to The Palace for a cuppa… or was it more?  Perhaps to advise about ‘readiness’?  Who knows? Perhaps Her Majesty just wanted an update on The Queen’s Flight or to know if her son ‘Airmiles Andy’ was using any of the aircraft for his important work near foreign golf courses? ? Today - Ian Parker-Joseph, leader of the Libertarian Party UK, reports: “Brown and Mandelson are both out of the country, and the signals are coming thick and fast, they are even re running ‘To play the King’ and ‘House of Cards’ on Sky… The madness that is NuLabour and the European project must be brought to and end, quickly. Could Her Majesty be seriously looking to sack Brown and force an election?” You may think that, Ian - I couldn’t possibly comment…. to borrow a much loved phrase from a particualrly venal, albeit fictional, exemplar of the political species. So, with Dan Hannan MEP ripping into Brown , with Brown being pilloried in polticial blogs and the dead sea press, with The City distinctly unimpressed by the offer to purcahse £1.75 billion of government IOUs yesterday - is it time for change? Is it time for an election? Can The Queen do it? YES, SHE CAN?

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Stick it up your Junta Mr Brown?

Lawcast 115: Dr Paul Mason on the Innocence Network UK Today I’m talking to Dr Paul Mason Senior Lecturer and Director of Postgraduate Research at Cardiff University School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies. He is Chair of the UK Innocence Network Committee and co-ordinates the Cardiff Nexus Innocence Project. He also runs the Prison Media Monitoring Unit and edited [jc2m] Journal for Crime, Conflict and Media Culture 2004-6.Today we are going to talk about the Innocence Network, how it works, who is involved and what benefits it brings to client and all involved. Today we are going to talk about the Innocence Network, how it works, who is involved and what benefits it brings to client and all involved. Listen to the podcast

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Lawcast 115: Dr Paul Mason on the Innocence Network UK

The update and podcast is up on Insite Law - It is a major update with the latest from UK Law blogs. Sign-up for a free newswire: If you would like to receive a FREE email newswire with must reads for news, reports, blog posts etc of the week past - no frills, just good info to help you keep up to date - please sign up here. Newswire #5: 1 March | See Insiteblog for past issues of Insite and newswire

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5th March: Daily law news and podcast up on Insite Law

Our Prime Mentalist is in the United States to inform President Obama about how he is saving the world and The City. Two British law bloggers are about to host Blawg Review two weeks in succession.  The first is Carl Gardner, author of The Head of Legal blog (March 9th) … the second is Geeklawyer (March 16th).  Her Majesty speaks to the bloggers of the United States, Canada and the World about this. Watch the Movie

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The British are coming… to Blawg Review…

Lawcast 111: US lawyer Dan Harris on China Today I’m talking to Dan Harris, a US lawyer, a co-founder of law firm Harris & Moure in Seattle, Washington and co-author with law firm partner Steve Dickinson  of the China Law Blog Dan gives a snapshot of law practice in China and talks about the need for businesses to have good advice if they plan to do business in China.  We talk also about Intellectual Property laws and The Great Firewall of China. Listen to Dan Harris | podcast version for iTunes

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Lawcast 111: US lawyer Dan Harris on China

Today I am talking to Carl Gardner , barrister, ex government lawyer and author of the Head of Legal blog about Jack Straw’s use of the veto under s.53 Freedom of Information Act 2000 Listen to the report with Carl Gardner | Version for iTunes

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Lawcast 109: The Jack Straw veto on FOI disclosure of Cabinet Minutes relating to the decision to go to war with Iraq