Introduction

This introductory chapter deals with the nature of scepticism about human rights legislation which sets up a bill or charter of rights with which courts are authorized to interpret laws so that they conform to the bill or charter or question legislation that they believe to be incompatible with the bill or charter. The scepticism relates to the ideological character of such bills or charters, which tend to neglect civil or political rights in favour of civil and political rights, and also to the weakness of courts in their interpretations and declarations of incompatibility. It also discusses how the book explores ways of making more effective use of political mechanisms for promoting human rights. The chapter summarizes the contents of the book.