<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML//EN"> <HTML> <HEAD> <META content=text/html;charset=iso-8859-1 http-equiv=Content-Type> <META content='"MSHTML 4.72.3110.7"' name=GENERATOR> </HEAD> <BODY bgColor=#ffffff> <DIV> Editorial: 'The only thing this case has proved "beyond reasonable doubt" is that English libel law is a disgrace to democracy and a menace to a free press' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'Our barrister Gavin Millar managed to establish in court, through the cross-examination of ITN witnesses, that the central fact in Deichmann's article, concerning the position of the barbed-wire fence at Trnopolje camp in relation to the journalists, was true. As Justice Morland said in his summing up: "Clearly Ian Williams and Penny Marshall and their TV teams were mistaken in thinking they were not enclosed by the old barbed-wire fence", before adding in his even-handed way, "but does it matter?". Or as Nick Higham reported it on the BBC news that evening, "Mr Justice Morland told the jury LM's facts might have been right, but he asked, did that matter?".' Mick Hume on the ITN v LM libel trial. <A href="http://www.informinc.co.uk/LM/LM129/LM129_Edit.html">http://www.informinc.co.uk/LM/LM129/LM129_Edit.html</A> OTHER ARTICLES THIS ISSUE: - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 'Trivial pursuits' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'The highly personal character of the London mayoral contest is bad enough. The lack of debate over matters of substance is even worse. But worst of all is the implicit assumption that party politics can have only a minor role in a democratic election. By giving the issue of character so much significance, politics becomes trivialised, making it an even bigger turn-off for the public.' Frank Furedi on how the petty nature of politics reflects a more profound contempt for the electorate. 'Counsel estates' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'Dressed up in the language of "improving health" and "boosting community spirit", the redefinition of deprivation as a health issue presents residents of housing estates as basket cases who are not even aware of the detrimental impact that living in poverty can have on their mental wellbeing, who need door-to-door psychiatrists and gifts for their home to make them that little bit happier. Poverty is being turned from a practical problem that some families have to struggle with - the problem of having too little income - into something approaching a state of mind.' Brendan O'Neill reports from the Aylesbury Estate in south London. 'Beach games' . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'The absence of any competing visions or big ideas in the political arena has led to a situation where discussions of what might be good for society, what we might be able to change, has been reduced to an obsession with trivia and personalities. The petty character of this discussion fails to inspire even the most hardened political animal - let alone an idealistic teenager. But without politics, the only place you have to make a difference is in your own personal life. And even here, the search for fulfilment is arguably becoming more difficult to realise.' Jennie Bristow on how the travelling bug reflects a lack of opportunities at home. 'The hollow men': . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'The success of today's elite transition is located less in the strength of New Labour than in the weakness of its opposition. The old guard may find some of the changes uncomfortable, and bemoan New Labour's evident intolerance of all those who dare criticise its project. But in truth, the new elite is kicking at an open door. The speed and ease with which this elite transition has happened is largely a consequence of the vacation of the terrain by its predecessor.' Claire Fox on the new elite: what's what, and what's not. </DIV></BODY></HTML>