At a price.

Once again it appears that the poorest in society are about to take kicking. This week the British justice secretary, Ken Clarke, will, at the second attempt, try to push through his justice reforms. This is the same bill that took a battering about its plans to give up to 50% off prison sentences when the accused enters a guilty plea. This proposal had the curtain twitching readers of the Daily Mail, the conservatives heartbeat, in convulsions. This is one of the problems with the marriage of conservatism and neo-liberalism, the conservatives claim to be the law and order party but the neo-liberals don't want to pay for it.

So now we have this second attempt to get the bill through parliament and one of the most worrying articles within it is the plan to remove funding for legal aid. To quote Lady Hale, the only woman on the supreme court, this would "have a disproportionate effect on the poorest and most vulnerable in society". Access to justice in British society will now be restricted to those who can afford it. Find yourself evicted by an unscrupulous landlord ? Tough luck. Need to question the withdrawal of services from social services? Sorry you are on your own. If you find yourself the victim of medical negligence, good luck trying to take on their team of lawyers, on your own.

This is a clear and pernicious erosion of the most basic of human rights. From the Magna Carta, to the Declaration of the Rights of Man and on the the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the cornerstones of advanced societies is the right to unfettered access to the legal system. It is the word "right" which is the most pertinent here, access to the justice system can not be a privilege, to be enjoyed or rather exploited, by those who can afford it. The consequences of this bill being carried, will reek havoc on society as a whole. As I have alluded to in previous posts, there has been an alarming shift in how the public policies, enacted since the late 70's, view society and the ability of said policies to effect change in society.The ideals of altruism and solidarity have been abandoned and in their place we have policies shaped by personal responsibility and rampant individualism. It is very easy to say that, it is up to you to look out for yourself and your needs when you are perched at the privileged end of the spectrum. When the odds and structures are stacked against you from the very start, it is next to impossible to operate on a level playing field. This government has priced a huge section of their population out of higher education and now out of the legal system. The NHS reforms of GP practices will have the effect of, GP centers cherry-picking the most profitable procedures and leaving the less well off at the mercy of an inferior service with dwindling funding. People need to speak with their feet to stop these policies, as it will snowball into a very unjust society unless something is done. Stand up for your rights as citizens not consumers.