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Society, Politics & Law
Coping with Depression
“You just want to step out of it, to step out of the whole race, the whole business. The monstrosity of life overwhelms you.” Following a nervous breakdown in 1995, actor and journalist Stephen Fry discovered he was suffering from bi-polar disorder – commonly known as manic depression. Symptoms of fear and sadness (often classed as ‘anxiety’ and...
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Society, Politics & Law
Exploring Law
Should we have the right to die? Should lawyers be passionate? Why are women still poorly represented in law? And since when did judges decide become of such interest to the public? These are just some of the topics covered in this fascinating compilation of discussions of law by Professor Gary Slapper of The Open University, and Frances Gibb, ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Newsworthy Lawyers
Historically judges and lawyers didn’t do interviews, give press conferences or be subject to journalistic scrutiny. Nowadays it is considered a matter of public interest that they engage with the media in order to increase public understanding of the justice system. Professor Gary Slapper discusses the developments that led to this ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Women in Law
Since 2002, the UK has seen the first female President of the Law Society, the first woman Chairman of the Bar, and the first woman at the Court of Appeal. And yet women are still poorly represented at the top of the legal profession. Is this because women continue to face discrimination, or do the working conditions at the top of the legal ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Witnesses and Evidence
Can we really expect jurors to fully understand the intricate and complex workings of the legal system? Should we really burden members of the public with the responsibility of resolving our criminal and civil disputes - or would we be better having a panel of experts? And what about expert witnesses? After so many recent miscarriages of ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Privacy Laws and the Media
With privacy and libel cases on the increase, and the recent surge in ‘no win no fee’ law suits, is it now too easy to sue for defamation? And are our privacy laws now so restrictive that we risk extinguishing debate? Gary Slapper, Professor of Law at The Open University, and Frances Gibb, Legal Editor of The Times, discuss the need to balance...
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Society, Politics & Law
Right to Die
In 1961 the Suicide Act made suicide legal in England and Wales but it remained a criminal offence to assist or encourage someone else to commit suicide. In 2010, following a successful legal battle by multiple sclerosis sufferer Debbie Purdy, new guidelines were published on assisted suicide to clarify when people were likely to face ...
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Nature & Environment
Innovation: The Environment
With global warming and climate change increasing, what can we do to tackle this problem? This album explores the economics of lowering carbon emissions and how Britain is tackling this problem, through expert analysis and opinions on carbon taxes, carbon reduction, renewable energy and environmental damage. This material forms part of The Open ...
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Society, Politics & Law
The Amartya Sen interviews
Nobel prize winning economist and philosopher, Professor Amartya Sen is widely regarded as one of the most influential public thinkers of our time, his interest and impact ranging across the key questions facing all societies: how can we promote economic well being, fairness and justice and how do we tackle deprivation and injustice. In this ...
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Society, Politics & Law
Markets in crisis
In the first decade of the 21st century we saw financial markets collapse, sudden spikes in food prices and projections of major environmental impact from climate change. All pose serious challenges to the global economic and financial systems. Economist and Nobel prize winner Amartya Sen along with leading experts in the field discuss ...
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Society, Politics & Law
The Politics of Participation
Why do people choose to vote, or indeed, not to vote? The Open University's Professor Michael Saward is joined by his colleagues Paul Lewis and Richard Heffernan along with Sarah Childs (Professor of Politics and Gender at Bristol University), to discuss the politics of participation, with reference to the 2010 general election in the UK.
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Society, Politics & Law
The Passionate Advocate
Should lawyers be passionate? Or should the argument stand or fall on its merits – and not on the dramatic abilities of its advocate? Professor Gary Slapper, Director of the Centre for Law at The Open University is joined by Frances Gibb, Legal Editor of the Times, to discuss the role of personality and rhetoric in the 21st century court room.