Life, sex, race, power, free speech, protest, privacy, democracy, sovereignty, death. Society shapes law, and law shapes society. We like to imagine that progress comes about when Parliament spots a looming groundswell in public opinion and responds by changing the laws that govern our daily lives. This is not always true. In his fascinating book, Inigo Bing unravels 10 legal cases in which the decisions of judges or a jury either heralded a shift in outlook, or forced Parliament to respond to simmering social change. The cases include Conjoined Twins, Lady Chatterley on Trial, The Cricketer and the Hotel, The Pilot Officer and the Home Secretary, The Thalidomide Scandal, Peaceful Protest in a Demographic Society, Spanish Ships and Metric Martyrs with regard to sovereignty and Death and Euthanasia. Taken together these stories provide 80 years of insight into the British political, social and cultural history, some cases exploring when rapid technological change outpaces government or urgent ethical dilemmas. All of them have had a lasting impact on the society in which we live. Inigo Bing is a respected judge. 316pp.
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