LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
A NEW WAY WITH LAWS
Sta,—In your issue of May 16th, Mr. R. S. Jenkinson asks if there is any precedent for the public decision that we, normally law-abiding citizens, are going to ignore a stupid law. I do not know if there are any precedents, but there is a very simple explanation. In the bad old days before the war laws were created after a most thorough scrutiny, both in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords, and having been created remained immutable except by the same process. In these enlightened days, when a new Britain is being created, that cumbersome old system is rapidly falling into disuse. Complicated Bills are passed with little and in some cases no discussion through the House of Commons. The House of Lords cannot, without throwing the whole life of the community into confusion, reject them. Many of these Acts of Parliament give powers to a single man not only to create new laws of his own, but to change existing laws and to act as prosecutor, judge and jury all rolled into one. These powers are exercised by Ministers, sometimes actually, sometimes only nominally ; in fact, it is probably the case that many of our existing laws have been devised, drafted and put into operation by individual members of the Civil Service.
It is only human nature if citizens regard laws made in this fashion, sometimes by men whose utterances give the impression of instability of character, of prejudice, of obstinacy and of small understanding, with a disrespect which was not accorded to laws created by Parliament and administered by the Judiciary. We have set up a series of petty dictators, and the public, although it is probably unaware of it, owes a very great debt to a small group of Members of Parliament, known as the " A.B.B.'s," who have set their faces against this practice, known as delegated legislation," which is rapidly bringing the whole law into disrepute. These Members do their best to bring to public notice the absurdities and the dangers attendant upon the drift towards totalitarian- ism which is evident in the present procedure, and are entitled to every support. While, therefore, it may not be proper to incite persons to ignore the law, once created, it is the duty of every citizen to protest against and to put every hindrance in the way of the continued creation
of laws made under this process.—Yours faithfully, W. A. WELLS. 83 Wood Vale, S.E. 23.
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