The BBC is reporting that Smoking is being banned in France in all public spaces from January 2008. About time. I wonder how long until that happens here.

The SMH has a couple of good legal articles… The first is about another rejection of Margret Cunneen for Silk. She is a very successful prosecutor, and the SMH is suggesting to her that she tells the Bar Association to get lost. According to the article what probably lost her Silk was a statement that she made that basically said that every time a guilty person went free the justice system did not work.

“Victims of crime … are in the criminal justice system through no fault of their own. So while it’s of course essential and very laudable for people accused of crime to have representation and support, I also see a great need for people whose involvement in the system does come through no fault of their own to have support and assistance and to be treated courteously and with a considerable degree of compassion.” she said. What a radical idea.

Also on the legal front, the federal government seems to have finally got sick of community legal centres actually offering advocacy, suggesting law reform and generally trying to change a system rather than band aid over the top. So they are wanting to put conditions on the $28m in funding to stop this horrible behaviour. Unfortunately according to the article, most organisations with government funding are seeing this type of behaviour.