Tom Bingham (1933–2010)
Autore di The rule of law
Sull'Autore
Opere di Tom Bingham
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Nome legale
- Bingham, Thomas Henry, Baron Bingham of Cornhill
- Altri nomi
- Bingham, Tom
- Data di nascita
- 1933-10-13
- Data di morte
- 2010-09-11
- Sesso
- male
- Nazionalità
- UK
- Relazioni
- Keen, Maurice (friend)
Utenti
Recensioni
Premi e riconoscimenti
Potrebbero anche piacerti
Statistiche
- Opere
- 9
- Utenti
- 360
- Popolarità
- #66,630
- Voto
- 4.1
- Recensioni
- 7
- ISBN
- 19
He followed this up with the admonition than the government must "bring the country together" by "actively promoting certain values. Freedom of speech. Freedom of worship. Democracy. The rule of law. Equal rights regardless of race, gender or sexuality." Note that nationality and religion are conspicuously absent from that list.
Alarming as the Cameron soundbite is, there is of course precedent from the other side of the pond. Bingham quotes David Cole from 2003:
How does the removal of due process and the presumption of innocence for foreigners square with the Rule of Law?
Bingham struggles with that question after outlining the history of the Rule of Law and providing a modern definition for what we expect a country abiding by the Rule of Law to respect. It's clear that this definition is based on Western European values of tolerance and individual independence, which unfortunately are at odds with each other in any concentrated population.
And that is fine, Bingham seems to say, as long as the government abides by the laws and principles which it has set forth, no matter what the consequences.
That was Madeleine Albright, also quoted by Bingham, from April 2000. Remember 2000? Before the US collectively crapped itself at the realization that not everybody liked them, and decided that because Americans were such swell people after all, everybody else must obviously be wrong, and therefore they deserve what they get.
And who could have forseen this reaction? It seems pretty obvious in retrospect:
That was William Brennan, again quoted by Bingham, writing in 1987 and referring to such past embarrassments as the interment of Japanese-Americans and the McCarthy red scare.
But politicians are no students of history. No surprise there -- they can't handle basic maths either.
So while it's tempting to say that every elected and appointed official should read this book of Bingham's, it wouldn't make one bit of difference. A politician has the memory of a goldfish, and the attention span of a teenager.
Which means it is up to everyone else to read this excellent book, and to hold those self-aggrandizing bastards responsible for the wrongs they have wrought.… (altro)