Brexit and the waning days of the United Kingdom

[Sheilbh]

About this time last year I mentioned the ZXC case. There the Supreme Court ruled that it was unlawful to report that someone was under police investigation because it violated their privacy rights. It also basically suggested that (counter to the normal media law approach) that actually the more prominent are the more you deserve this protection.

This is all from privacy law developed by courts, largely based on the European Convention on Human Rights rather than primary legislation by parliament.

And it's worth saying that the chain of decisions from the courts developing this rule are basically a litany of media abuses, such as in the Sir Cliff Richards case.

But we are now seeing the consequences of that ruling as the High Court has ruled that the BBC cannot name a (famous) man accused of sexual misconduct. The story is about the BBC's own investigation based on interviews with individuals who have come forward with their accusations. But it could, in line with ZXC, prejudice the police investigation and any future trial - and "may well incite copycat false complainants", or I'd argue encourage other genuine victims to come forward.

As with ZXC, still not sure this is within the public interest and I think parliament should step in and legislate because I think the law has developed in the courts in a way that I think gets the balance of privacy v free speech absolutely wrong.

More broadly, there's already been numerous threatening letters applying ZXC to, say, disciplinary hearings for doctors or Russian oligarchs potentially going on sanction lists. At the minute it is incredibly difficult to report on allegations of criminal behaviour, on investigations into criminal behaviour - after someone's been charged contempt of court rules apply. So I think the individual's interest in privacy is starting to seriously compromise the public interest of a free press.

I think this obviously benefits the people who can afford libel/privacy lawyers - I think the bad press/press reaction would probably make it not work for an elected politician (or royal), but for everyone else who is rich or powerful you have some very powerful tools now to basically shut down any reporting into you.

Again there are arguments for it and it came from media abuse, but it definitely feels like something that parliament need to step in over.

[Sheilbh]

Separately I had no idea renters could ever be liable for stamp duty
https://www.theguardian.com/money/2020/oct/05/as-a-tenant-when-am-i-liable-for-stamp-duty

Feels slightly mad that it basically hits home owners when they move and renters when they stay

Edit: I assume the purpose was basically anti-avoidance, to stop people from evading stamp duty by dressing up a purchase as a tenancy. But still slightly crazy - and I suspect we can do that more elegantly.

[mongers]

I'm a bit confused about the Jess Philips race row, given that she in no way mentioned race in the social media exchange with the head teacher.

[Josquius]

I'm a bit confused about the Jess Philips race row, given that she in no way mentioned race in the social media exchange with the head teacher.

Typical far right behaviour. They think they're being clever when they accuse the left of being racists.
That head has really been popping up a lot lately, one suspects she has designs on a full media or political career.

[garbon]

I'm a bit confused about the Jess Philips race row, given that she in no way mentioned race in the social media exchange with the head teacher.

Typical far right behaviour. They think they're being clever when they accuse the left of being racists.
That head has really been popping up a lot lately, one suspects she has designs on a full media or political career.

I thought it was because Jess Phillips (a white woman) continued to send negative tweets to a minority woman.

Of course, I think it is more Jess Phillips is an always on attack dog and Ms Birbalsingh's prior infamous comments than racism.

Unclear why Phillips started this Twitter spat.

[Josquius]

I'm a bit confused about the Jess Philips race row, given that she in no way mentioned race in the social media exchange with the head teacher.

Typical far right behaviour. They think they're being clever when they accuse the left of being racists.
That head has really been popping up a lot lately, one suspects she has designs on a full media or political career.

I thought it was because Jess Phillips (a white woman) continued to send negative tweets to a minority woman.

Of course, I think it is more Jess Phillips is an always on attack dog and Ms Birbalsingh's prior infamous comments than racism.

Unclear why Phillips started this Twitter spat.

Its quite a leap though that Philips takes issue with the stupid shit this woman in public eye says about things that veer into Philips areas of interest, and its the fact the woman is black rather than a right wing populist pillock that is a bit of an issue to a progressive politician.

The only slight case I could see would be if she's exclusively hounding this woman and nobody else, which I don't think is the case.

[garbon]

It is being reportrd that she put up a picture of Tina Turner with Ike Turner and Phillips went off.

[Sheilbh]

It is being reportrd that she put up a picture of Tina Turner with Ike Turner and Phillips went off.

Yeah which sort of makes sense given that Phillips worked for Women's Aid before she became an MP.

I feel they are both people who would be far better off if they maybe stepped away from social media.

[garbon]

It is being reportrd that she put up a picture of Tina Turner with Ike Turner and Phillips went off.

Yeah which sort of makes sense given that Phillips worked for Women's Aid before she became an MP.

I feel they are both people who would be far better off if they maybe stepped away from social media.

Agreed

[Josquius]

Great example of the populist rights storm in a tea cup tactics lately

Farage cries he's bring forced out of the UK as his bank accounts are being closed for political reasons.

Turns out he's just been moved off a fancy posh account onto a more regular one because his income isn't high enough to qualify anymore 

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/jul/04/nigel-farage-coutts-bank-account-closed-lack-of-funds?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[Gups]

According to him, he wasn't offered an alternative account until he started going on about it in the press.

[Richard Hakluyt]

There are btl commenters at the Daily Mail who think that Coutts is part of a woke leftist conspiracy 

[mongers]

I once knew someone who had a Coutts personal account.   

[Duque de Bragança]

There are btl commenters at the Daily Mail who think that Coutts is part of a woke leftist conspiracy 

Woke leftist? Are there really woke rightist conspiracies to justify the use of leftist to distinguish them? 

[Jacob]

There are btl commenters at the Daily Mail who think that Coutts is part of a woke leftist conspiracy 

Woke leftist? Are there really woke rightist conspiracies to justify the use of leftist to distinguish them? 

Sometimes two or more related adjectives are used in conjuction to create emphasis