LORD GOLDSMITH - ATTORNEY GENERAL

 

HOME | BIOLOGY | FILMS | GEOGRAPHY | HISTORY | INDEX | INVESTORS | MUSIC | SOLAR BOATS | SPORT

 

 

Peter Henry Goldsmith, Baron Goldsmith, PC, QC (born 5 January 1950), is the current Attorney General of England and Wales.

 

Lord Goldsmith QC was appointed on 11 June 2001 as Her Majesty's Attorney General.

 

 

Lord (Peter Henry) Goldsmith QC attorney general

 

Lord (Peter Henry) Goldsmith QC

 

 

The Attorney General, assisted by the Solicitor General, is the chief legal adviser to the Government. The Attorney General has overall responsibility for the Treasury Solicitors' Department, superintends the Director of Public Prosecution as head of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), the Director of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) and the Director of Public Prosecutions in Northern Ireland.

 

The Law Officers answer for these Departments in Parliament. The Attorney General has public interest functions in which his responsibility is as guardian of the public interest.

 

Peter Goldsmith was born and brought up in Liverpool. He went to Quarry Bank High School/Comprehensive there before reading law at Gonville & Caius College Cambridge taking a double first class honours degree. After a Master's Degree at University College London he was called to the Bar, Gray's Inn in 1972.

 

He then practised from Fountain Court Chambers in London. He was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1987. He has judicial experience, sitting as a Crown Court Recorder since 1987 and a Deputy High Court Judge since 1994. He was created a Life Peer in 1999, and a Privy Counsellor in 2002.

 

In 1995 he was Chairman of the Bar of England and Wales. He has also held a number of posts in international legal organisations including Council Member of the International Bar Association and the Union Internationale des Avocats.

 

From 1998 until his appointment as Attorney General he was co-Chairman of the IBA's Human Rights Institute. Between 1997 and 2000 he was Chairman of the Financial Reporting Review Panel, an independent public body responsible for enforcing financial reporting standards. In 1997 he was elected to membership of the American Law Institute and made a member of the Paris Bar.

 

In 1996 he founded the Bar Pro Bono Unit of which he was Chairman until 2000 and remains President.

 

He was the Prime Minister's Personal Representative to the Convention for the European Charter of Fundamental Rights.

 

Goldsmith was born in Liverpool and educated at Quarry Bank School (now Calderstones School) before reading law at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge and University College London. He was called to the Bar at Gray's Inn in 1972, practising from Fountain Court Chambers in London. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1987 and a Deputy High Court Judge in 1994 and he was elected the youngest ever Chairman of the Bar of England and Wales in 1995. He was created a Labour Life Peer in 1999, as Baron Goldsmith, of Allerton in the County of Lancashire, though this represents a reversal of his earlier support of the Conservative Party. He was appointed Her Majesty's Attorney General in June 2001. One of his first acts was to discuss breaches of the injunction against publishing the whereabouts of the offenders in the James Bulger murder case. He became a Privy Counsellor in 2002.

 

Lord Goldsmith has also held a number of posts in international legal organisations, including Council Member of the International Bar Association (IBA) and of the Union Internationale des Avocats. From 1998 until his appointment as Attorney General he was co-Chairman of the IBA’s Human Rights Institute. Between 1997 and 2000 he was Chairman of the Financial Reporting Review Panel, an independent public body responsible for enforcing financial reporting standards. In 1997 he was elected to membership of the American Law Institute and made a member of the Paris Bar.

 

In 1996 he founded the Bar Pro Bono Unit of which he was Chairman until 2000 and remains President.

 

He was the Prime Minister’s Personal Representative to the Convention for the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

 

In 2006, Goldsmith gave a speech at the Royal United Services Institute, calling for the closure of the US-ran detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. Goldsmith called it a "symbol of injustice", and said that it did not respect the rights of liberty or freedom. [1]

 

On 17th February 2007, the Mail on Sunday reported that Goldsmith, who is married, had been having an affair with Kim Hollis, Britain's first Asian QC.[2] Lord Goldsmith is married with four children and lives in London.

 

 

Lord Goldsmith crown prosecution service QC

 

 

Controversy over legal advice on the Second Gulf War

 

The nature of Lord Goldsmith's legal advice to the Government over the legality of the 2003 invasion of Iraq was a significant political issue in 2003 and early 2004.

 

The Government had turned down repeated calls to break with tradition and have the advice made public. Lord Goldsmith's original memo, written on March 7, 2003, was eventually leaked to the press, which led to its official publication on 28 April 2005. In the memo, Lord Goldsmith discusses whether the use of force in Iraq could be legally justified by Iraq's 'material breach', as established in UN Security Council Resolution 1441, of its ceasefire obligations as imposed by Security Council Resolution 687 at the end of the First Gulf War. Lord Goldsmith concludes that 'a reasonable case can be made that resolution 1441 is capable in principle of reviving the authorisation [of the use of force] in [Resolution] 678 without a further resolution.' However, Lord Goldsmith did concede that 'a court might well conclude that [operative paragraphs] 4 and 12 do require a further Council decision in order to revive the authorisation.'

 

In his final advice to the Government, written on March 17 2003, Lord Goldsmith stated that the use of force in Iraq was lawful. This advice stated Lord Goldsmith's preferred view in more unequivocal terms than his earlier memo, without reference to the doubts expressed therein. This has led to allegations that Lord Goldsmith succumbed to political pressure to find legal justification for the use of force against Iraq. Shortly after the leak Lord Goldsmith released a statement in response to such allegations, saying that the two documents were consistent, pointing to the difference in the nature of the two documents and the firm assurances he had received between 7th and 17 March that Iraq was indeed in breach of its obligations under Security Council resolutions.

 

The controversy was furthered by the resignation of Elizabeth Wilmshurst, deputy legal adviser to the Foreign Office, on 20 March 2003. A full version of her letter of resignation became public in March 2005. In this she stated that the reason for her resignation was that she did not agree with the official opinion that the use of force in Iraq was legal. She also accused Lord Goldsmith of changing his view on the matter.

 

 

Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is the chief legal adviser of the Crown in England and Wales. He represents the Queen and the Government in court, and has supervisory powers over prosecutions, which are the responsibility of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Crown Prosecution Service. The Attorney General also represents the Crown in many judicial proceedings relating to the public interest, e.g. the administration of charities and income tax. He is assisted by the Solicitor General for England and Wales: both offices are filled by political appointees who must belong to either house of Parliament. The Attorney General is not usually a member of the Cabinet, but is called to advise it when necessary.

 

There are separate legal advisors for the other jurisdictions of the United Kingdom: see Law Officers of the Crown.

 

The Attorney General and the Solicitor General, despite their titles (an attorney in the common law courts was the equivalent of a solicitor in the courts of equity), have historically been barristers and Queen's Counsel. However, Harriet Harman QC MP, who was Solicitor General until May 2005, is a Solicitor. The Attorney General has precedence over all other barristers in the English Courts, and in the House of Lords has precedence over the Lord Advocate, even in Scottish cases. The Attorney General is addressed in court as "Mr Attorney".

 

As well as Her Majesty's Attorney General, there is also an Attorney General to the Prince of Wales and an Attorney General to the Duchy of Lancaster. When there is a Queen consort or dowager, she also has an Attorney General, as did the late Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

 

Since 1973 the Attorney General for England and Wales has also held the office of Attorney General for Northern Ireland.

 

 

Lord Goldsmith attorney general

 

 

External links

 

 

 

 

puppet single parent stepfather witchcraft munchausen syndrome

 

Persecution of stepfather or stepmother 

by children of single parent families

 

 

 

 

FALSE ACCUSATIONS

 

Very many persons accused of assault, especially sexual assault, are either innocent or having been found guilty by a Court, are later found to have been innocent all along.

 

Under current legislation the accuser's identity is protected, whereas the accused is not.  Where the majority of persons accused turn out to be innocent, during the period they are under suspicion, they are reported in the press, with an assumption of guilt, which usually ruins their lives: relationships and businesses. This particularly applies to Carers or Teachers, or those involved in such professions.

 

The man in the street is particularly vulnerable when entering into a relationship, since he or she has no body to turn to for advice and is not in any event tuned into the potential dangers. Those most at risk include males joining single parent families with children, and most especially young girls who are most likely to hurl accusations and usually where a relationship is not working or is breaking down. 

 

 

F.A.C.T. (Falsely Accused Carers and Teachers)
PO Box 3074
Cardiff CF3 3WZ
Tel: 029 2077 7499
E-mail: info@factuk.org
Website: www.factuk.org
Campaigning organisation and support group which provides help and advice to falsely accused and wrongly convicted carers and teachers throughout the UK. The website contains a range of information, leaflets, books and links.

 

 

Guidance for education staff and volunteers in schools


Website: www.lg-employers.gov.uk/conditions/education/allegations
This website has guidance on: 1) staff facing an allegation of abuse; 2) preventing 'abuse of trust' for education staff; and 3) the conduct of education staff working with young people.

 

 

SOME PROMINENT MISCARRIAGES OF JUSTICE:

 

Simon Hall

David Watkins

Katie Davis

Leon Benjamin Forde

Warren Blackwell

Darryl Gee

 

 

 

BBC television The Verdict - Jury justice and injustice false accusations

 

The Verdict - Jury

 

 

 


 

 

 

Disclaimer

Some of the views expressed on this website are those of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of SN. All content is for general information only and is not intended to replace professional advice of any kind. SN is not responsible or liable for any actions taken by a user of this site. SN is not liable for the contents of any external sites listed, nor does it endorse any advice, products or services mentioned on these sites.

 

 

 

HUMANS:

 

 

Aftab Ahmed

AIDS - HIV

Anorexia

Assault

Babies

Bladder

Blood

Bones

Brain

Bullying

Cancer

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Child Abuse

David Watkins

Death

Depression

Diet

Digestion

Disease

Divorce

DNA

Drugs

Dysfunctional Families

Euthanasia

Exercise

Fantasies - Schoolgirl

Gestation

Hair

Hate

Hearing

Heart

Humans

 

 

Intelligence

IVF Artificial Fertilisation

Joints

Justice

Kidneys

Liver

Love

Lungs

Marriage

Memory

Muscles

Motherhood

Nails

OCD Compulsive Obsessive

Obesity

Personality - Disorders

Psychology

Racism

Rape

Reproduction

Sex Education

Sight

Single Parents

Sleep

Smell

Skeleton

Skin

Stress

Suicide

Teachers - Petition

Teenage Pregnancy

Veins

 

 

 

 

 

SIMPLE LIFE FORMS

As in Amoeba, plankton (phyla: protozoa)

ECHINODERMS  

As in Starfish (phyla: Echinodermata)

ANNELIDS  

As in Earthworms (phyla: Annelida)

MOLLUSKS  

Such as octopus (phyla: Mollusca)

ARTHROPODS  

Crabs, spiders, insects (phyla: Arthropoda)

CRUSTACEANS  

such as crabs (subphyla: Crustacea)

ARACHNIDS  

Spiders (class: Arachnida)

INSECTS 

Ants (subphyla: Uniramia class: Insecta)

FISH  

Sharks, Tuna (group: Pisces)

AMPHIBIANS  

Such as frogs (class: Amphibia)

REPTILES  

As in Crocodiles, Snakes (class: Reptilia)

BIRDS  

Such as Eagles, Crow (class: Aves)

DINOSAURS

Tyranosaurus Rex, Brontosaurus (Extinct)

MAMMALS  

Warm blooded animals (class: Mammalia)

MARSUPIALS 

Such as Kangaroos (order: Marsupialia)

PRIMATES  

Gorillas, Chimpanzees (order: Primates)

RODENTS  

such as Rats, Mice (order: Rodentia)

CETACEANS 

such as Whales & Dolphins ( order:Cetacea)

ANTHROPOLOGY

Neanderthals, Homo Erectus (Extinct)

HUMANS - MAN

Homo Sapiens  THE BRAIN

LIFE ON EARTH

Which includes PLANTS non- animal life

 

 


 

A taste for adventure capitalists

 

 

Solar Cola - the healthier cola alternative

 

This website is Copyright © 1999 & 2007  NJK.   The bird logo and name Solar Navigator are trademarks. All rights reserved.  All other trademarks are hereby acknowledged.       Max Energy Limited is an educational charity.

AUTOMOTIVE  |  BLUEBIRD  |  ELECTRIC CARS  |  ELECTRIC CYCLES  |  SOLAR CARS