Cutting Costs

A prisoner was recently awarded damages for losing a filling whilst in jail. In 2006, the amount of compensation paid to prisoners reached £9m. In the last ten years or more there have many incidences of outrageous settlements in the public sector, fuelled by the rise of 'compensation culture' and the advent of the 'no win, no fee,' school of lawyers.

If the Coalition Government is serious in cutting costs they can start by repealing the law that allows citizens to sue local authorities and Government; that is, themselves. An ombudsman should be appointed if one already isn't in place, to look after complaints in the public sector.

We need to see an end to the ridiculous amounts paid out by the Ministry of Defence and Police authorities to people with complaints such as 'hurt feelings' when soldiers are paid lesser amounts of compensation for losing limbs. This will have a useful side effect in taking away a lucrative trade and in some cases higher tax-payer charges for solicitors or lawyers. The recent 'Bloody Sunday' enquiry cost two hundred million pounds of tax-payer money, creating seven lawyer millionaires. It is worth remembering that these people, like bankers, do not create wealth (except for themselves); they manufacture nothing, they create nothing and do not exploit natural resources. They provide an unnatural service mediating between men (and women) according to man-made laws and institutions. They are, in our civilization, a necessary evil which should be contained to an absolute minimum.

Because the purpose of Government is to regulate the laws under which our constitution is run, does it not represent a conflict of interests to allow solicitors and lawyers to stand for Parliament.