The drastic and many would say draconian cuts to the legal system over the last year or two has led to a near breakdown in the judicial process here in the UK and has led critics to claim that unless you have money behind you, you can no longer get justice in our courts.
The coalition government, which could be in its death throes as we speak with the General Election just around the corner, of course will argue that the cuts were essential to the long term well being of the country after the recession hit the economy hard. But where should you draw the line? If our society is not built on the rocks of fairness and equality then what is there left?
Legal aid has been cut to the bone, leaving many people unable to apply for it and therefore not having any legal representation in court as they cannot afford to pay money to have someone there for them fighting their case. This can unfortunately lead to either people not bringing a case to court, and therefore potentially letting the perpetrator of a crime off scot free, or not being able to defend themselves adequately in court which can often lead to miscarriages of justice.
And it is also the more vulnerable members of our society that have borne the brunt of the cuts to legal aid, the people who need help the most.
For people with money there are no such worries, they can hire the best solicitors to give them more than a good chance of winning any court case they are involved with. So I think in summary it probably IS one law for the rich and one for the poor but has it not always been thus? Money talks in most societies, very sad but very true, but this does not mean we have to accept this and indeed make the divide greater by breaking down our legal system even more.
The legal aid system is there for a reason, to ensure that people who cannot afford to pay for a solicitor or pay court fees can still get access to representation and a fair stab at justice. We lose this at our peril.
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