September 2011
- Posted on September 29, 2011 by Louise RestellAs you probably know, I am not a big fan of lawyers. But I do have to concede that sometimes lawyers are not the only people who make me angry. It probably isn’t too surprising that one of my targets today is the insurance industry. It’s probably slightly more surprising that the other is Which?, the consumer group that, arguably, made me who I am.Read more...
- Posted on September 25, 2011 by Louise RestellThe Dale Farm saga has the power, it seems, to invoke passions as few other recent events. It has unleashed streams of vitriol on Twitter and in the blogosphere and a glut of contradicting information and claims. As well as the main protagonists, the Dale Farm residents and Basildon Council, a range of other supporting players have emerged to underline this isn’t just a legal, but a moral debate.Read more...
- Posted on September 19, 2011 by Louise RestellBeing in power so you can implement party policy is the whole point of politics. At least, that’s what I have spent the last 20 odd years thinking. But, after just one evening at the Liberal Democrat conference, I have realised that actually the whole point of being in power is just that, being in power.Read more...
- Posted on September 17, 2011 by Louise RestellI wonder how many of the nearly 30,000 people who have signed the e-petition to bring back the death penalty have ever heard of Todd Willingham. He was executed in Texas in February 2004 for the murder of his three young children, despite consistently protesting his innocence and serious doubts about the scientific evidence used to convict him.Read more...
- Posted on September 12, 2011 by Louise RestellSince the government’s wholly unsurprising announcement that it is banning referral fees I have been wondering what I can write about this that hasn’t already been said (including by me in an earlier post). I’m certainly not going to attempt to explain the impact it will have on personal injury lawyers and claimants because I am not sure I really know.Read more...
- Posted on September 6, 2011 by Louise RestellThinking about it now, it seems extraordinary that I rushed home on 3 October 1995 to see the live verdict of the OJ Simpson trial on TV. Along with over half of the US population and quite a large percentage of the UK one, I watched as he was found not guilty of the murders of his ex-wife and her friend. I had never even heard of him before he was arrested and starred (I use the term deliberately) in what has been described as the trial of the century. It was all so over the top and showbiz it didn’t even occur to me that we should put TV cameras in English courts.Read more...
- Posted on September 5, 2011 by Louise RestellThis morning I finally got around to opening my car insurance renewal quote. It was not a nice shock over the cornflakes. Unbelievably the cost for insuring my not-very-large car has increased nearly 100 per cent in 12 months. Fortunately, as any savvy consumer knows, and as certain cute mammals in clothes or moustachioed opera singers can tell you, I can find cheaper car insurance online (although choosing which comparison website to use will probably take longer than eating my breakfast).Read more...