JUSTICE behind closed doors is no justice. It must be seen to be done. Therefore the two leading Liberal Democrats who quit the party at its weekend conference over its backing for a Commons Bill proposing such a step, are to be applauded.
They are lawyers – Dinah Rose, QC and Jo Shaw – who accused leader, Nick Clegg, of abandoning liberal values for the privileges of power. Miss Shaw has probably hit the nail on the head, for if her party had not joined the Coalition, it would never have tasted such power in a month of Sundays
The government claims that only civil claims against the state involving terror suspects and armed forces should be held in secret. But once such authority is given, the temptation is there to extend its use into other fields.
PUPILS at two primary schools must have felt immense satisfaction at raising hundreds of pounds for two good causes; no mean feat. That joy turned to sorrow when the money was stolen by burglars.
Are there any kind- hearted readers who will make good the loss? The children at Hackleton Primary had been collecting to aid Paralympian, Ann Turney, to buy new equipment for the next Games in Brazil, while youngsters at Little Houghton were sponsoring a child in Uganda. These two break-ins are among an alarming increase in the number of such offences in the county which, despite police efforts, show no sign of abating.
THANKS to the initiative of a motorist, a driver has been convicted of dangerous driving in Northamptonshire.
The other road user had a camera attached to his windscreen which recorded the road ahead of him.
The boss of the firm which markets the camera describes the case as a landmark and hopes other motorists will follow the example which might help make our roads safer.
Such hidden cameras could also play a part in curbing the rise in burglaries of the kind described above.
THE A43 in Northamptonshire is said to be littered with potholes, but that is not the only road which presents hazards for drivers.
There are other less important roads across the town whose condition often causes all types of road users to divert their attention from what’s in front of them to avoid damaging their vehicles in holes.
Repairing them should be an immediate priority, otherwise the roads authority will be faced with a staggering number of compensation claims.