Political prosecutions and the ‘rule of law’

Political institutions and politics are like a river; a river that changes as it flows through an evolving landscape. An identification of ‘spin’ and the quickened communications consequent to news from mobile communication and video has encouraged immediate ‘knee-jerk’ political responses to events over the last two decades. It is a similar pattern to that seen in the Arab Spring. More disturbing, there are signs that our liberal democracy is allowing political prosecution; that is prosecution as a result of public or political pressure and it is a development that can encroach on the rule of law. As was noted in our concepts article in March 2005†, the rule of law provides ‘equality before the law and the predictability of actions: in short, enforcement of law is fair and not arbitrary and thereby citizens have security.’ Without taking a partisan stance on the ‘Murdoch issue’, what is in mind is the arrest of Rebekah Brooks and five others on 13 March 2012 in connection with phone hacking, an issue that has previously been put aside.
† new perspective Vol 10, No 3. March 2005
Contributor: Geoff Williams. Sempringham [ehistory.org.uk] eLearning Office.