PETER MASON is enthralled by an assembly of objects, ancient and modern, that have lain in the mud of London’s river
Latest editorial
Human rights and the nation state
PAULINE BRYAN recommends a bold defence of the international human rights that are obscured by national political parties
Bryan
MICK McSHANE rubs shoulders with Mod legend Steve Craddock and joins in with the joyous Glasgow choir
DENNIS BROE sifts out the ideological bias of the newest TV series offerings, and picks out what to see, and what to avoid
New releases from Brown Horse, Craig Finn, and Julien Baker & TORRES
STEVE JOHNSON, CHRIS SEARLE and TONY BURKE review new releases from Steve Knightley, Jupiter & Okwess, Jason Palmer, Lisa Knapp and Gerry Driver, Kin'Gongolo Kiniata, Ingrid Laubrock/Tom Rainey, Dan Sealey, Simin Tande, PAZ
Back from a mini tour of Yorkshire and Stockport and cheering for supporting act Indignation Meeting
ALISTAR FINDLAY is mesmerised by this multiple ‘Visions of Scotland’ assault on the audience’s eyes and senses
Human Rights: the Case for the Defence
Shami Chakrabarti
Allen Lane, £17.99
YOU can probably tell a lot about a book by who it is that various newspapers ask to review it. Friends get friendly reviews; enemies get critical reviews and dangerous authors are undermined by reviews that attack the writer rather assess the book’s content.
The Daily Telegraph asked Jonathan Sumption, a former Justice of the Supreme Court, to review this book. He does, as would be expected, have significant differences with Chakrabarti but the paper thought it was important enough to commission a serious critique.
The Times, however, invited a PhD candidate whose research is on “the notion of sovereignty within the context of international law.” His review, rather than addressing the issues, tries to undermine the author with ridiculous accusations. For example, he claims Chakrabarti is stating that: “‘rights nationalists’ are no better than wife beaters and child molesters.”
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