Comments on: The libel tourism myth http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/ for free expression Fri, 17 May 2013 18:22:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1 By: The Yanks lead the charge « The Louse & the Flea http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-2586 The Yanks lead the charge « The Louse & the Flea Wed, 11 Aug 2010 22:51:50 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-2586 [...] Curiously, the UK’s libel tourist-friendly laws have fans, not all of them members of Carter-Ruck. One of them is former law lord, Lord Hoffmann, who in a speech to the Inner Temple in February this year, defended the practice, attacked the proposed Speech legislation and thought it relevant to the issue to mention Dr Ehrenfeld was born in Israel, that she had “firm views on the Palestine question” and  thought “the British to be soft on terrorism”. Read the whole rank, ghastly thing here. [...]

]]> By: Libel Victim http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-2487 Libel Victim Wed, 14 Jul 2010 15:22:31 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-2487 Lord Hoffman is right on. The conflict here is between human rights – e.g. Article 17 of the International Convention on Civil and Social Rights, which guarantees people protection of the law against “attacks on their honour and reputation”, and an extreme interpretation of freedom of speech. Naturally, those who are in the business of publishing carelessly want to do so with impunity, but if lies have been published about you, you can suffer enormous damage, including the destruction of your career. For example Captain Dreyfus.

You then find yourself up as an individual against a multi-billion-dollar corporation, which can defeat you through jurisdictional challenges, procedural maneouvres and appeals, simply running you out of money and preventing your case from ever being heard. Even bringing a libel case stimulates further evil gossip.

The media, which hold all the cards, naturally pose as victims and howl “censorship”, for example by means of this website, whenever they are called to account.

The pen can do far more damage than the sword: the freedom to libel is the freedom to use a powerful weapon irresponsibly.

If you have been injured by a truck belonging to a publisher, should their insurance company be able to avoid liability unless you can prove that the driver did it on purpose? The principle behind Sullivan is that it should. It is bad, bad law.

]]> By: Libel Tourism – Lord Hoffmann’s View « UKSC blog http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-2155 Libel Tourism – Lord Hoffmann’s View « UKSC blog Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:28:40 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-2155 [...] Dame Ann Ebsworth Memorial Lecture at Inner Temple Hall.  A copy of the Lecture can be found here. Lord Hoffmann argued that English libel law does not unduly encourage libel tourism and that the [...]

]]> By: America must defend its writers | Rachel Ehrenfeld | NewsBag http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-2134 America must defend its writers | Rachel Ehrenfeld | NewsBag Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:36:59 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-2134 [...] by a former senior judge of the appellate committee of the House of Lords, Lord Leonard Hoffmann, expressed strong opposition to the US legislation. He also attacked the UN human rights committee’s finding in July 2008 [...]

]]> By: David Swarbrick http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-2087 David Swarbrick Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:23:16 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-2087 Far and away the most accurate description of our libel laws.

]]> By: Index on Censorship » Blog Archive » Today is a good day for free expression http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-2049 Index on Censorship » Blog Archive » Today is a good day for free expression Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:25:45 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-2049 [...] findings are a devastating rebuff to the many voices in the judiciary who insist that the demands for libel reform are overblown. Both Labour and Conservatives held that view until recently. Over the past few months, since Index [...]

]]> By: Index on Censorship » Blog Archive » Let battle commence over privacy http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-1999 Index on Censorship » Blog Archive » Let battle commence over privacy Wed, 10 Feb 2010 01:03:24 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-1999 [...] least reported but most bizarre intervention of the week came from Lord Hoffman, a recently retired law lord of impeccable liberal credentials. In a lecture striking for its [...]

]]> By: David T http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-1998 David T Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:08:59 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-1998 A strong response to this speech by Nick Cohen:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/07/nick-cohen-law-courts-libel

]]> By: David T http://www.indexoncensorship.org/2010/02/the-libel-tourism-myth/#comment-1997 David T Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:06:35 +0000 http://www.indexoncensorship.org/?p=7817#comment-1997 The brightest BCL-ist of his generation, was Lord Hoffmann.

What a tragedy to see him reduced to this.

At least he has retired, and so his ability to do harm is limited.

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