Lester: Paul Dacre and Graham Dudman have got it wrong

Part of the recent Paul Dacre attack on Justice Eady (who ruled against the News of the World in the Max Mosley case) was that he was unaccountable for his actions and basically a one-man band introducing a privacy law on his own. He was supported in this attack by The Sun’s managaing editor, Graham Dudman, who said, “The issue here is that Justice Eady is unelected and unaccountable. Parliament has not made these decisions, one man has”.

But Liberal Democrat peer Lord Lester has hit back today, pointing out that when the law on which Eady’s rulings are based was passed through Parliament, this very issue was actually debated – and Parliament passed up on the opportunity to give the media a broad exemption: “This issue was fully debated when the human rights bill was before parliament. Some sections of the media lobbied for a complete immunity from article 8 of the European human rights convention, which guarantees the right of respect for personal privacy. Instead, the government and parliament included section 12, emphasising the paramount importance of free expression.”

Far from Eady’s actions being that of one unaccountable man, they are the result of what Parliament decided. Isn’t that how democracy and a legal system are meant to work together?