Libel
There have been some really important articles recently about the escalating cost of libel cases in England, and the dire consequences it is having for free speech.
Please read this (hat tip: The Bright Stuff) and this!
As the latter article notes, “the cost of litigation is so high ($200,000 for starters, and $1m-plus once you get going) that they cannot afford to defend themselves. The plaintiffs often win by default, leaving their victims humiliated and massively in debt.”
It’s a disaster, pure and simple. It needs to be changed. Now.
A lot of these problems are being mitigated by ANti-SLAPP laws in the United States. Does the UK have anything like this? It stands for “strategic lawsuit against public participation”
No, not as far as I know. It probably would be harder to implement here given that the UK has no constitutional right to free speech.