In recent years a new form of populism has taken hold of our politics, turning Britain into an increasingly intolerant and fractious country. As our society grapples with the threat posed by terrorism and the uncertainty that has followed the Brexit referendum and the coronavirus pandemic, cracks have begun to appear in the very foundations of our liberal democracy; the values that we once regarded as sacred are being called into question. Former barrister and judge Inigo Bing examines how the bonds of trust between the British people and our democratic institutions have broken down and the principles that underpin the rule of law are under threat from populist politics. Populism on Trial analyses how politicians have shown an increasing contempt for the principle of judicial independence as they attempt to exercise unrestrained power. Bing seeks to remind us that without law we have only power, and power without law is tyranny. He demonstrates how the rule of law is a fragile yet essential ingredient in our democracy and argues that it must be vigorously upheld or it will be cast aside by the rising tide of populism

LIFE. SEX. RACE. POWER. FREE SPEECH. PROTEST. PRIVACY. DEMOCRACY. SOVEREIGNTY. DEATH. Society shapes law... and law shapes society. We like to imagine that progress comes about when Parliament spots a looming groundswell in public opinion and responds by changing the laws that govern our daily lives. This is not always true. In this fascinating book, Inigo Bing unravels ten legal cases in which the decisions of judges or a jury either heralded a shift in outlook or forced Parliament to respond to simmering social change. Some of these cases demonstrate the role judges have in defending our civil liberties against overweening executive power, articulating inherent unwritten rights Parliament would prefer to keep quiet about. Others explore what happens when rapid technological or social change outpaces government, placing urgent ethical dilemmas in the lap of the court. All of them have had a lasting impact on the society we inhabit. Taken together, these stories provide a powerful insight into eighty years of British social, political and cultural history, illustrating why legal cases are just as important to making our world as laws written by Parliament or grassroots changes within society.