It was pretty obvious that the thing stated about the car(s) in question was pure opinion, regardless of threats. And what pisses me off, is that neither of you realised that other people are allowed to have an opinion on any matter, without having to find some middle ground, and without making a joint press release sort of thing.
Well, damn me. Three years for a law degree, a further three for a PhD, A year's pupillage and then numerous years practice and I never realised! Hey Ho!
Wow, I'm absolutely stunned you would try taking your argument in that direction,
and simultenously make an argument from authority, but perhaps you don't know what an opinion is, and what free expression of an opinion is and why , say, a journalist doing a commentary has a much wider berth than the same person doing a straight news article. Hell, I'm even allowed to call someone a motherf.. if the intent was clearly to insult, and not to insinuate the person was actually in an incestual relationship with his mother.
Yes, I'm allowed to say that I think the bloody queen is an inbred idiot and that the UK would be better off without another inbred following her. It is obviously an opinion (which I actually don't hold, but it is an example), and she would lose the battle in a court.
But since you tried to pull off an argument from authority, please do let us know which branch of law you worked with. Property law or perhaps Intellectual property? I'm quite certain it is not anything even remotely related to this.
Ok, for the sake of completeness. To qualify as an appropriate pupillage for call to the Bar, the student has to cover a requisite number of legal areas. Since defamation is, as part of the law of Tort, one of the bedrocks of the common law, then virtually all pupils will have some experience of it. Indeed they must because it forms part of the Civil litigation papers ( My principal when I was a pupil was involved in a number of these so I DO have experience)
Moreover, any UK law degree- if it is to 'qualify' for professional purposes must cover certain foundational subjects and one of these is Tort ( inc defamation)
At a professional level, defamation actions are quite rare in England and Wales- not least because of cost and the court will almost certainly ask any claimant for regular and repeated proof that he can continue to meet his legal costs
Hope this information is helpful
What I certainly don't want to do is to enter into a debate on this in any intemperate manner. You have an view and so do I
As I said, I really would like to leave it at that
Thanks
GLLHG
