There was great joy somewhere within the reassuringly
expensive part of Manhattan yesterday, following
the news that the Law Society had withdrawn its guidelines to solicitors on
drawing up wills in accordance with Sharia custom. (Thankfully) former Tory MP
Louise Mensch was ecstatic as the National Secular Society declared victory via
its director Keith Porteous.
(c) Doc Hackenbush 2014
“This is an important
reversal for what had seemed to be the relentless march of sharia to becoming
de facto British law” he told, to
which I call bullshit. The move changes nothing in law: the underlying
legislation, the 1837 Wills Act (as subsequently amended) allows a will to be
drawn up in accordance with the dictates of Sharia. And there will be plenty of
copies of those guidelines already downloaded.
Did this occur to Ms Mensch? Not a chance: “This is a HUGE victory for all women, and
especially for Muslim women”. It is? What have women gained from a set of
guidelines being withdrawn? As solicitor Stephen Newman said at the time, “Provided the will is signed in accordance
with the requirements of [the Wills Act] there is nothing in English law to
prevent a person domiciled in England from choosing to dispose of his or her
assets in accordance with sharia succession rules”.
But Ms Mensch was not for listening: “Fantastically good and persistent work by the Lawyers’ Secular Society.
Thank you so much for defending my rights as a woman”. What rights has the
Society defended? The right to prevent lawyers having access to accurate and
up-to-date information?
Seriously, no right has been “defended” by the withdrawal of the guidelines. She doesn’t care: “Just as [Lawyers’ Secular Society] succeeds in
getting rid of Sharia law guidance by the Law Society, dispiriting news that
Israel is going the other way”. Wait, what? A state where the overwhelming
majority of the population is Jewish is flirting with Sharia law? Get out of here.
By this time, though, Louise was done with her declaration
of victory, and was on to the gratuitous abuse: “Clear from Telegraph’s report that it was Nicholas Fluck leaving as
President of Law Society that won Sharia victory for women #FluckOff”.
Laugh? I thought I’d never start.
And now that she hasn’t won a campaign to prevent the making
of wills in accordance with Sharia custom, Ms Mensch is on to the next campaign
that she isn’t going to win: “Next up:
OFSTED” she declared. Would that be the same Ofsted that, under Michael
Wilshaw, has stepped up its zero notice inspections of schools and
found serious shortcomings in some of them? Yes, Ms Mensch would have him
sacked – after all, wanting to raise standards, pretty shocking, eh?
Just remember that the author of this stupidity was allowed to become an MP.
also note her inability to spell 'Ofsted'. It's not exactly hard.
ReplyDeleteOn a side tack here.
ReplyDeleteHas Louise asked her mate Rebekah, who campaigned heavily for Sarah's Law and had extensive networking links with high ups in politics, The Met and the security service, whether she had any knowledge of the revelations that Exaro News are bringing out as she would seem to have been in pole position to know?
If she did, did she pass on publishing, like she did on MPs expenses for whatever reason?