Private Eye is taking an intelligent interest and giving a damning critique. It does not mention the other slightly earlier attack on decent law. Lots of lawyers in the Commons & Lords just love bad law, expensive law, profitable law. They used Puttnam to finish off an improvement in England's grossly oppressive Libel Law. See Communist Sabotages New Libel Law but that is more about greed than free speech.
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Laws that led to London being dubbed "the libel capital of the world" will be reformed after peers in the Lords voted to pass the defamation bill, ending a three-year campaign led by Liberal Democrat peers Lord McNally and Lord Lester.Libel reform campaigners said they were "delighted" overall that defamation reform was finally passing into law, although they were disappointed by the failure of a bid to bar private companies contracted to run schools, prisons or healthcare from suing ordinary citizens who criticised the work they do for the taxpayer.
However, the bill is a landmark piece of legislation and should provide more protection for individuals and organisations, including newspapers and broadcasters, which criticise big companies.
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Sometimes the law gets better. It is just a political tool. Justice another thing entirely.