On Sunday the 11th of February, Anna Soubry and Chuka Umunna, the co-chairs of the All-Party Group on EU Relations and two of Remain’s loudest voices, did a joint interview on the Andrew Marr Show. During the interview Marr made an interesting observation, “you are closer to each other politically, you (Anna Soubry) are closer […]

  There is a paradox at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s rule. For many Russians he is the ‘law and order’ candidate; a leader who promotes family values, a stable economy, Orthodox Christianity and resolve in the face of terrorism. For many outside Russia, however, he is seen as promoting chaos whether that be in […]

Should it even be legal? What gets your blood boiling? We all have a moment where we see a news headline which makes us so angry that we see red. Why does the government allow such things to happen? Can such a law even exist? Let it out and tell us about the legal issues […]

Should it even be legal? What gets your blood boiling? We all have a moment where we see a news headline which makes us so angry that we see red. Why does the government allow such things to happen? Can such a law even exist? Let it out and tell us about the legal issues […]

Since 1999, the laws governing data protection at the European level have remained largely stagnant. The existing regime pertains mainly to data controllers – those who collect personal information. On the other hand, data processors – those who service information – are normally excluded from these regulations.[1] In addition, the current regime has glaring loopholes- […]

Is Cold War II Brewing?   The Cold War was the period of hostility between the Western powers and the Soviet bloc countries from 1945 to 1990. Tensions between the USA and Russia were near boiling point. Battles between different ideologies took place across the globe. And the world teetered on the brink of nuclear […]

In recent elections and referendums, we have witnessed a global change in the political tide; some of us may question the operation of democracy in our current societies. Democracy comes from the Greek (as the first Western democracy was from Athens) demos meaning ‘people’ and kratos meaning ‘power’, literally translating to ‘power to the people’. […]

Was Orwell right? Are we now living in a real life 1984? Have we all just kissed goodbye to our privacy without knowing it? Unfortunately, the answer is possibly yes. Big Brother (or various government authorities) may soon be spying on you, if they are not already, or at least saving your personal data. The […]

It’s a familiar sight. Frightened refugees in overcrowded boats, desperately hoping for a better life in Europe. These images of sinking dinghies in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea should not be commonplace – but they are. In response to the refugee crisis, the UK government has pledged to resettle 20,000 refugees in the UK […]

The magnitude of the migrant crisis faced by Europe appears to be unprecedented. With a flow of people coming into Spain from North West Africa, Italy from Libya and Tunisia, and particularly, into Greece from Turkey, it is undoubtedly at crisis point. Every week, news reports surface of yet another boat capsizing, leaving hundreds dead. […]

Cultural differences have always fascinated me. Over the years, summer holidays spent exploring continental Europe have made me aware how many things can differ within a relatively short distance. So perhaps it was to be expected that over the course of my Law with French and French Law degree (which includes a year studying French […]

Amongst other things, 2016 will be remembered for the passing of so many much-loved celebrities. David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Terry Wogan, Prince, Victoria Wood, Ronnie Corbett…the list goes on. Yet have we also seen the death of something far more significant? This year has potentially seen the demise of the centre ground of British politics, […]

On November 8th 2016, many woke to the news that Donald Trump had been elected President of the United States of America under the electoral college system that the President-elect himself described as ‘phoney’. On one hand, the win was a promising one for the anti-establishment ideology, which had seen the triumph of those who Nigel […]

Three years after Snowden’s revelations about the NSA, mass surveillance is still doing pretty well. As a matter of fact, after France and Germany, the UK has now adopted a new law on intelligence that will result in the loss of privacy. The protection of private life has taken a new turn. The Internet changed […]

In October 2015, the conservative Law and Justice party (PiS) won the parliamentary elections in Poland. Prior to stepping down, the predecessors, the centrist Civic Platform, nominated five judges to the Constitutional Tribunal. This is the high court supervising compliance of state institutions with the national constitution. The Constitutional Tribunal consists of 15 fully independent […]

The Conservative Government has taken it upon itself to introduce a Bill of Rights and repeal the current Human Rights Act introduced by the Labour Government. This is founded on the basis that the UK has lost its parliamentary sovereignty and the ECHR has developed a ‘mission creep’. The ECHR has arguably expanded into areas […]

Modern Slavery Act: Wiping out Modern Slavery in UK businesses The Modern Slavery Act 2015 is the 21st Century Europe’s first piece of legislature to explicitly combat slavery and human trafficking. In October businesses with an annual turnover of £36 million or over will have a duty to publish a statement to demonstrate the steps […]

What is ELSA? When I say ELSA, I’m not referring to the loveable ice princess from Disney’s Frozen which you may be more familiar with. For law students throughout Europe, ELSA is more commonly known as the acronym for the European Law Students’ Association. Coincidentally, we share the same signature colour – blue – but […]

For a decidedly difficult decade, Ryanair has been locked in a legal battle with the struggling Airbus operator, Aer Lingus. The issue dates back to the 27th September 2006, when Aer Lingus floated on the stock exchange at around €2.20, shortly after which Ryanair began to acquire shares in the business. In the following month, […]

2014 may be remembered for various reasons. Perhaps most significantly, it has been a year of political turmoil, both at home and on an international scale. The beginning of autumn witnessed a culmination of the existencial debate in the 307-year-old United Kingdom. Scottish call for independence, dating back to as early as the mid-1800s Home […]

In France, it is now illegal to name your child Nutella. On 26th January 2014, a French court ruled that parents of an infant girl could not name their child Nutella and saw fit to rename her Ella in her parents’ absence from court. The judge reasoned that “Nutella is the trade name of a […]

It seems as though Greece has not been far from the headlines since the financial crash in 2008. The resultant Eurozone Crisis following 2008 has seen Greece with a bull’s-eye on her head. Will there be a ‘Grexit’, (a clever portmanteau used in the media denoting Greece leaving the Eurozone), will they receive another bailout? […]

This is the last in the series of articles on the work of the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre (MDAC), an international organisation based in Budapest, which fights for the human rights of people with mental disabilities. People with psycho-social and intellectual disabilities are especially vulnerable to abuse and neglect, and this article will attempt to […]

Britain’s status in the European Union will undoubtedly be a pivotal issue in next year’s general election.  UKIP now holds nearly 27% of the UK’s allocation of seats in the European Parliament, presumably because of their Eurosceptic stance.  Although the Eurozone crisis has shaken faith in the common market, the main arguments for withdrawal from […]

Last week British Prime Minister David Cameron delivered the latest in his string of ‘European renegotiation’ promises: a pledge to renegotiate immigration policy with the European Union (EU). Unfortunately, along with many of its predecessors, this promise is likely to disappear when next month’s popular political view of the month is announced. This article assesses […]