It took around 15 minutes for the barrister to realise. Nobody else did, except me. It felt like one of those dreamlike states wherein you open your mouth and wave your arms but nobody notices. The longer it goes on, the more the inner turmoil swells to busting point, but you can’t burst. It’s a court room. I simply didn’t know when I’m allowed to speak or not. Nobody tells you. Read more…
These are the notes of Tom Muirhead when he gave a talk at a Ragged University event in the Edinburgh Festival on August 11th 2011 at 12:45 in Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh.
When thinking about ideas in a scientific context the ideas in question get described according to the level of corroboration and scrutiny they have received.
This article was written by a musician and artist about the experience he had as a resident in Amsterdam when new identity laws were introduced…
I remember being present at an informal and rather intimate talk given by Timothy Leary in a small nightclub in Amsterdam called The Mazzo. The theme of his discourse was the coming onslaught of the digital age, computer technology and the internet. As usual he had a lot to say… about that, and indeed about numerous topics. In passing he said how happy he was to be in Amsterdam ‘the most liberal city in the world’. That was in the 1980s.
In January 2005 the city of Amsterdam passed a law which gave new and extensive powers to the police of the kind which they had not previously enjoyed. This was the power to stop members of the public on the street or in any public place and ask them to show identification papers. This they could do with impunity so long as there was suspicion that the said member of public had perpetrated a crime (or was thinking to do so!). Read more…
During the Edinburgh International Festival of August 2012 twenty two talks were given at Leith on the Fringe at the Out of the Blue venue. They were free and open to everyone
Tom Muirhead
Right to a Fair Trial Part 1 ‘The Painted Bird’
The first of a ten part series that questions whether it is possible, under the current legal framework in Scotland, for anyone to receive a Fair Trial or a Fair Hearing in any legal proceedings.
It is contended that no litigant involved in civil proceedings or an accused in a criminal trial has ever had a ‘fair hearing’ in Scotland. As a result, and as you read this paper, thousands of innocent people are being held in jail. This paper, that is the first of a ten part series, will show why the wearing of gowns and wigs by officers of the court introduces ‘bias’ into all legal proceedings.
In the courts of Scotland all judges, advocates and solicitors wear a uniform that consists of a black gown and a ceremonial wig. It is obvious to the author that this form of dress means that no litigant can ever receive a fair hearing. It is contended that a judge will subconsciously favour those who wear a similar uniform to him or herself as opposed to those who don’t. Read more…