This talk will aim to raise some questions about the relationship between the concept of the Rule of Law, its importance as a constitutional principle and natural law theory. After examining the relationship between these concepts, it will consider recent trends in Government and Parliament which touch on issues of conscience, and discuss what room […]

In the invitation that those present this evening have received, my paper was introduced as follows: The daunting challenges facing humanity today cannot be met simply by putting in place better science and more effective structures. They are of another order, and beyond the capacity of the United Nations, the World Bank, big business and […]

What I will do is to use the time I have to tell a few stories from some of the places in which I have been working to set the scene, and to try to be what Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) seeks to be – a ‘voice for the voiceless’. I am not going to […]

Lecture-cum-booklaunch of the English version of the volume When Might Becomes Human Right: Essays on Democracy and the Crisis of Rationality (Gracewing; Leomister, 2007) Europe has become the major exponent of human rights, democracy, and the rule of law all over the world. This modern ‘trinity’ of values has become the universal standard for good government and […]

In the heart of Europe, the troubled world of Franz Kafka seems to be gaining ground over the hopeful world of Vaclav Havel. The historic cities of Prague, Warsaw, Bratislava and Budapest look impressive enough, but economic progress is increasingly overshadowed by political turmoil. Charles Gati and Heather Conley: ‘Backsliding in Central Europe’, International Herald […]

I’m sure we are all more or less in agreement about what we mean when we spell the word Enlightenment with a capital ‘E’. We are talking about the movement of ideas which came to dominate men’s minds during the 18th century, reaching an explosive climax in the French Revolution. But that as we know was […]

Thank you very much for inviting me to address this seminar of the Thomas More Institute. Thomas More is, among many other things, the Patron of my law school in Chile which makes me especially pleased to accept your invitation. I shall describe the problem we have with reasoning in terms of ‘human rights’ and in […]