Summary

The fifth edition of this established textbook provides a clear and manageable commentary on this important area of law. With the Human Rights Act 1998 and the European Convention on Human Rights providing the overall context, the book deals with all the main areas which are covered in English law courses on civil liberties. It will also provide useful reading for some aspects of courses in public law. Among the topics covered are police powers, freedom of expression (including official secrets, obscenity and contempt of court), public order, privacy, asylum and discrimination. Two chapters at the beginning of the book deal with the nature of the protection of rights under the British constitution and the important contribution of the Human Rights Act 1998, with its ever-increasing case law. This is a book which students find accessible, but which contains sufficient analysis to encourage exploration of the more difficult aspects of the subject.