Wisdom of Lord Woolf

Near the dawn of the Human Rights Act, Lord Woolf remarked in giving judgement that it was important that the concept of 'human rights' was not abused by over-extension, since the idea as a whole would come into public disrepute - the right use as well as the ab-use, without distinction.

Two recent news stories illustrate His Lordship's wisdom.

In Sweden, a boy has been reported to the authorities for not inviting a couple of classmates to his party. Apparently this breached their human rights - by being discriminatory.

Back in Blighty, the Government are preparing legislation to allow witnesses in criminal trials to insist that the Defence are not told who they are - including by having no information that might be used to identify them being given in Court.

Those notoriously namby-pamby liberals the Romans objected to the use of anonymous informers: Gordon may wish to reflect that those Emperors who favoured them (eg Domitian) tended to come to sticky ends. But of course there is nothing that 'just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get me' Domitian's example can teach the PM, surely ?