The solicitor general taking action against a climate protester who held up a sign outside court raises a vital issue for criminal justice
George Orwell noticed the tendency of repressive law to degenerate into farce, when truth becomes a lie and common sense is heresy. This is worth remembering now that the solicitor general, Michael Tomlinson KC, has concluded that it is right to take action against a climate campaigner, Trudi Warner, for holding up a sign outside a criminal court, simply proclaiming one of the fundamental principles of the common law: the right of a jury to decide a case according to its conscience.
Presumably he will be taking the same action against those responsible for maintaining the fabric of the Old Bailey, where a historic plaque is proudly displayed celebrating the “courage and endurance” of the jury that first established this right by acquitting William Penn in Bushel’s case in 1670.
