SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews is powered by your submissions, so send in your scoop. Only 15 submissions in the queue.
SoylentNews
The Independent is reporting that Nigel Evans, a British MP recently cleared of sexual assault charges, has said he regretted previously supporting cuts to legal aid.
He said he was stunned to learn he would have to pay his legal fees even if he was acquitted plus value added tax.
Tough new rules on the amount of cash acquitted defendants could claim back were passed in 2011 as the Ministry of Justice sought to trim the legal aid budget.
Bill Waddington, the chairman of the Criminal Law Solicitors' Association, said: "It is interesting it takes something like this for MPs to realise that only two years ago they actually voted for this change against vociferous opposition from the legal community."
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
British MP Regrets Supporting Legal Aid Cuts
|
Log In/Create an Account
| Top
| 14 comments
| Search Discussion
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
A lot of people I know believe in positive thinking, and so do I. I
believe everything positively stinks.
-- Lew Col
(Score: 4, Insightful) by ikanreed on Tuesday April 15 2014, @09:07PM
It's all "Us versus them". That perception poisons good ideas by some people being able to portray them as being used by "the bad guys". If you don't personally know someone dependent on a service, the idea begins to be tied only to "those people" who are allaged use it.
It happens in all sides of politics(because simplistic people are everywhere), but it's particularly symptomatic of right-wing-authoritarianism. And as far as I can tell, it's just one of those untreatable conditions of democracy, and all you can do is not give into it yourself.