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13 August 2010 / Roger Smith
Issue: 7430 / Categories: Opinion , Constitutional law
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Coalition justice 3

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The Coalition government will not be remembered for its policies on civil liberties or the constitution. The period from the election until the autumn will be seen as the phoney, or in Churchill’s words, “twilight” war. To come is the spending blitzkrieg that will define this government. We need to revive a theme equivalent to that current in 1939: no indiscriminate bombing of civilians.

In spite of the imminent cuts, we need to keep calm & carry on, says Roger Smith

The Coalition government will not be remembered for its policies on civil liberties or the constitution (NLJ, 2 & 23 July 2010, pp 917 & 1027). The period from the election until the autumn will be seen as the phoney, or in Churchill’s words, “twilight” war. To come is the spending blitzkrieg that will define this government. We need to revive a theme equivalent to that current in 1939: no indiscriminate bombing of civilians.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) budget was £9.75bn in 2008-9. Prison is the largest source of spending: £2.34bn. Legal aid is second at £1.9bn. The courts cost £1.24bn,

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