Letter: Power to people, not judges

Power to people, not judges

Sir: Richard Bacon appears to confuse judges' power with people's power (letter, 9 July).

Bills of rights confer positive rights which are virtually unrecognised in British law - like the right to personal privacy - thus providing more opportunities for ordinary citizens to sue government ministers and public officials than they have currently. This does not shift power to judges; it merely requires them to operate according to comprehensible human rights values established by Parliament rather than the more obscure principles which currently underlie the law.

The New Zealand Bill of Rights does not transfer legislative power from parliament to the courts but has nevertheless provided considerably more protection to individuals than anticipated.

JONATHAN COOPER

Legal Director

Liberty

London SE1