Released: 3rd September 2020
Genre: Non-Fiction, Law, Society
Number Of Pages: 408
The anonymous Secret Barrister is back for another round of factual breakdowns and roundhouse debunking with Fake Law: The True About Justice In An Age Of Lies. It’s far more contemporary and relevant as a wide range of modern cases are discussed.
For the last five years in particular, the UK’s legal system has been dragged through the mud on many occasions. Politicians of all stripes deride the funding that goes into it, judges have been branded “enemies of the people” and the moral debates over contentious cases have generated great anger among the populous. Across nine chapters, the most crucial areas are covered from home defence all the way up to UK democracy as a whole. It’s clearly taken a lot of research and source gathering to put this entry together; each chapter is arranged by cause and effect. First the background of a case is laid out, sometimes with an anecdote to set the scene. This is followed up by a full recount of what went on in court. Finally, the wider impact of influencing factors is explained, including a knock-on effect for society at large.
The overarching theme of the book is that the justice system is often targeted for the purposes of degrading and diminishing it over time. Through concise facts and numerous links to real world events, the author pulls out the greater motives behind inflammatory headlines, societal discourse and misinformation. TSB encourages you to think of the bigger picture; what does it mean for all of us when the tabloids cry for rights to be removed? How does cutting legal aid help those who can’t afford to represent themselves? All these questions are compellingly answered with an epilogue on what should be done to improve the wider situation.
Recommended?
YES: Just like the original book, The Secret Barrister continues to shine an unyieldingly detailed light on the UK justice system. In this entry, he or she cuts right through all the junk circulating in society and gets straight to the heart of all the major issues. It doesn’t matter if you’re a member of the legal profession; you need to read this book. Fake Law provides an excellent understanding of where we’re standing with the courts, media, politicians and the interplay between all three. If it doesn’t educate, at the very least it will raise awareness and inform the reader of a contemporary and difficult situation.
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