The Handbook of Human Rights Law: An Accessible Approach to the Issues and Principles

Contemporary Review, Nov, 2004

The Handbook of Human Rights Law: An Accessible Approach to the Issues and Principles. Michael Arnheim. Kogan Page. [pounds sterling]35.00. xxix 274 pages. ISBN 0-7494-3498-8. Of the many changes to the British Constitution introduced by the Labour government, few have been as influential, or as profitable to the growing ranks of the legal profession (including the Prime Minister's lady wife), as the incorporation into British law of the Human Rights Act in 1998.

Gone are the days when Englishmen could boast that the 'rights of man' were as naught when compared to the 'rights of Englishmen'. In this new world, as the author writes, 'nothing ... is simple or straightforward'. This guide seeks to make sense of 'the most uncertain and most unpredictable of all the branches of law' as it affects U.K. law and life. Because everything is so vague 'everything is up for grabs'. Dr Arnheim discusses how to use the law and points out 'some practical winning strategies and tactics'. After this he turns to the European Convention on Human Rights which lies behind all this flim flam and deals with various 'rights' in turn. In what is such a grey area, marked by 'a lack of clear and properly defined principles' this book will act as a sure guide to an Alice in Wonderland world, a lawyer's dream in a new legal industry.