The violent unrest that has caused so much damage in the UK has not in fact happened across the UK. It has almost been exclusively confined to England. True, violent riots also took place in Belfast, Northern Ireland, but, interestingly enough, even there they were largely perpetrated by British loyalists, along with a few far-right extremists from Dublin. The … [Read more...] about The trouble with – and in – England
Criminal justice
Nanterre and the suburbs: the lid comes off
Riots broke out this week in Nanterre, a suburb of Paris, following the lethal police shooting of a 17-year-old boy named as Nahel M. An investigation into his death is continuing but the situation has already triggered protest and anger well beyond (with 1300+ arrests). Whatever the investigation concludes, the incident forms part of a complex, deep-rooted problem. It raises … [Read more...] about Nanterre and the suburbs: the lid comes off
Legal illegal immigration
Outraged by the reactions to a recent story in the Herald about possible developments in legal aid provision for complex immigration cases, I found myself spending more time than I should have responding to some of those comments.#1I am very depressed on reading the comments on this story from previous commentators. The UK has prided itself on being a place of hope for … [Read more...] about Legal illegal immigration
Opioids: unintended consequences of a good policy
The levels of fatal overdose in the UK are catastrophic. More than 4,500 people died of a drug-related death in 2017 alone. In Scotland, the figure totalled 934, the highest ever annually recorded.Drug mortality rates in Scotland per head of population are roughly two and half times higher than the UK average, and among the highest in Europe. The vast majority of these … [Read more...] about Opioids: unintended consequences of a good policy
Clara Ponsati and Scottish justice
The current process against Prof. Clara Ponsati of St. Andrew’s University is a misuse of the European Arrest Warrant (EAW).We all have an interest that criminals, especially serious criminals, cannot escape justice in an increasingly open Europe by hopping across a border. But the EAW can only function if the states have confidence in the justice systems of the other … [Read more...] about Clara Ponsati and Scottish justice