[e-gold-list] Re: Gold Age

[Pete Chown]

James A. Donald wrote:

> I think you are deluded about wherever "here" is.

"Here" is the UK.  The courts really do hold the government accountable.
There are aspects of the system that don't work too well-- the biggest
one is the government changing its practices when ordered to, but to
something else illegal.  The delays associated with bringing a court
case can make this difficult to deal with.  On the whole, though, the
government is forced to obey the law, and the law includes various
principles of good administration.

Two recent examples, if you're still sceptical...  First of all,
Labour's chief fundraiser was arrested a month or so ago, accused of
corruption:

http://politics.guardian.co.uk/funding/story/0,,1818863,00.html

Secondly, over the last few days, the government lost a court challenge
to its anti-terror strategy:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uklatest/story/0,,-5987734,00.html

If you study law, one of the cases you come across is Westminster
Corporation v. London and North West Railway.  Westminster Corporation
(that is, the local government for the City of Westminster) had the
power to construct underground public toilets.  It sought to construct a
toilet which was linked to both sides of the street, in order to build a
pedestrian underpass without the proper authority.  The Corporation lost
in court, because it was using a power it had been given for a purpose
that was not intended.

This is the same principle of law as the cannabis revenue stamp, since
in that case a power was also being used for an unintended purpose.  For
that reason I feel confident that the government would lose if it tried
to prohibit a substance in the same way in the UK.

Pete




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