BRAVE AND RIGHT
ALTHOUGH it is no more than what is due to the innocent, Mr Douglas Hurd's decision to refer the case of the Guildford Four to the Court of Appeal is brave as well as welcome. There is a disreputable and disagreeable strand in British society which believes that any admission of possi- ble error by the courts is a sign of weakness. This strand has found its spokes- man in Mr Ivor Standbrook MP, who alleges the Mr Hurd has done 'great damage' to the British criminal justice system. It does not take much courage to defy Mr Stanbrook, of course, but Mr Hurd suffers from the fact that he com- bines political Wetness with being Home Secretary. His decision to refer the case will not make his life any easier with the rough Right of his party. He deserves praise. We also hope it will not be forgot- ten that the convictions of the Maguire family for bomb-making are closely related to the Guildford case. The Maguires, too, are innocent. The Guildford referral should lead to theirs as well.
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