Freeman

[WTE_Galway]

Meh ... 2 hours is too long.

Anyway ... the influence of the Magna Carta has been substantially reduced in recent times.

In most common law countries the legislature is continually enacting new civil legislation which overrides the older common law precedents (Politicians do not like the idea of judges defining laws they want to be able to decide and overrule the courts).

Modern capitalist countries like the US pay lip service to the "Rule of Law" (the idea everyone is equal under the law) but in reality being a politician, having money, owning a newspaper or simply being a corporation means you are treated differently in law to the common man. Even serious cases like rape and murder are treated differently depending on who the individual is. Pascal Mazurier is an example of where "Rule of Law" was clearly not applied.

Even Habeus Corpus has been overruled in many countries with the flood new Terrorism legislation introduced over the last 10 years.