Law and the Whirligig of Time

Sir Stephen Sedley is a retired Lord Justice of Appeal for England and Wales, and former visiting professor of law at Oxford University.

For over 30 years, first as a QC, then as a judge, and latterly as a visiting professor of law at Oxford, Stephen Sedley has written and lectured about aspects of the law that do not always get the attention they deserve. His first anthology of essays, Ashes and Sparks, was praised in the New York Times by Ian McEwan for its 'exquisite, finely balanced prose, the prickly humour, the knack of artful quotation and an astonishing historical grasp'. 'You could have no interest in the law,' McEwan wrote, 'and read his book for pure intellectual delight.' The present volume contains more recent articles by Stephen Sedley on the law, many of them from the London Review of Books, and lectures given to a variety of audiences. The first part is concerned with law as part of history - Feste's 'whirligig of time'; the second part with law and rights.The third part is a group of biographical and critical pieces on a number of figures from the legal and musical worlds. The final part is more personal, going back to the author's days at the bar, and then forward to some parting reflections.

Of interest to lawyers, political scientists and historians, and the interested general public.

History1. Law as History2. The History of English Law3. Human Rights and the Whirligig of Time4. A Glorious Revolution?5. Judges and Ministers6. Obscenity and the Margin of Appreciation7. Does the Separation of Powers Still Work?Law and Rights8. The Role of the Judge9. Anonymity and the Right to Lie10. Dealing with Strasbourg11. Speaking in Tongues12. The Public Interest13. Judicial Misconduct14. Recusal: When Should a Judge Not Be a Judge?15. The Right to Die16. The Brexit Case17. The Supreme Court18. Arbitration19. Detention without Trial20. Originalism21. Colonels in Horsehair22. The British Constitution23. A New Constitution?24. Freedom of Expression25. The Abuse of Power26. A Compensation Culture?People27. Rudy Narayan: 1938-199829. Lord Diplock: 1907-198530. Lord Scarman: 1911-200431. Lord Bingham: 1933-201032. Lord Mansfi eld: 1705-179333. Sir Thomas More: 1478-153534. Lord Denning: 1899-199935. Lord Sumption and Public Law36. Bob Dylan37. Ewan MacColl: 1915-1989Occasional Pieces38. A Commonplace Book39. Under Milk Wood Lost and Found40. Getting It WrongAfterword: A Different Cat