Shamima Begum is robbing Britain with her taxpayer-funded legal aid
There is positive news to report, as the Government has emerged victorious in their legal battle against former Isis member, Shamima Begum. The Court of Appeal has decreed that Sajid Javid, who was the Home Secretary at the time, acted within the boundaries of the law when he decided to revoke her British citizenship.
Legal assistance has become a corrupt system that disadvantages the people of Britain, regardless of the outcome of the cases. When an individual who is not authorized to be in the country decides to challenge the British government, it feels as if we are being treated like we're in the medieval times where accused witches were put on trial and faced the fate of death by drowning or burning. Legal aid has caused the courts to cater only to the extremely affluent or those with very little funds. We, the regular people, cannot afford to use legal services as it would require us to sell our homes in order to cover the legal expenses.
It is possible that we may need to do this regardless if we are falsely blamed for committing a crime and we are deemed to be too affluent to obtain legal assistance. However, if someone enters the country unlawfully and asserts that they are penniless, then they could quickly secure the services of a lawyer, all at our expense.
The expenses keep rising and are becoming more costly. In the previous year, lawyers who were complaining about the price of £52 for every hour of work for handling immigration cases convinced the government to raise the legal aid fees for these cases by 15%. They disregarded the fact that they were already receiving five times the national minimum wage. It is puzzling that the Home Office has managed to find a way to obtain more funds for this particular purpose, even though they often claim that there is no money available for other issues. It's like they have discovered a magic money tree growing in their courtyard, filled with tasty fruit.
Why isn't there a limit on the amount of legal aid that can be given? The lawyers of Shamima Begum should have been able to present her case with a few hours of subsidised time. After that, she should have been responsible for funding her own fight to the Court of Appeal or finding a lawyer who would work for free. It seems like there are many people who sympathise with her, so why couldn't they contribute financially?
The rule should have also been implemented for Albanian and other offenders who have convinced the courts that their human rights will be violated if they are sent back to their countries after completing their sentences in Britain. The legal system is already flawed, and it is unreasonable for the public to provide additional support to make it worse.
