The UK courts seem to be in a race against the Nonth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco to find the looniest decisions imposing made—up "rights" in accord with left wing values. From the London Evening Standard, via the Gulf Times:

Almost 200 drug—addicted convicts will share an astonishing compensation payout of almost ｣700,000 after the government caved in to claims that stopping their use of drugs breached their human rights. The settlement — worth a staggering ｣3,500 each — provoked fury.

Once legal fees are added to the payout, rubber—stamped at the High Court yesterday, the total bill to the taxpayer is likely to smash through the ｣1mn barrier.

The Home Office said it had "reluctantly" agreed to pay up to minimise costs to the public. If the case had reached court, the inmates could have been granted even more cash, officials said.

The 198 inmates had been receiving methadone, but authorities decided to make them go cold turkey. In response, lawyers representing them calimed that "torture" was being used and that the prison system has no right to deny them the illegal drugs they were using.

Hat tip: Eric Schwappach

Thomas Lifson   11 16 06