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SITEMAP

 

ABOUT FB

. . CV

. . Autobiographical

. . Life photos

. . FB's Scrapbook

 

WRITINGS BY FB

. . Chronological

. . Complete list

. . The Bennion Code

. . FB books

. . FB articles etc.

. . FB press letters

. . Book reviews

. . FB specialisms

. . Blogs

. . Archive

. . Acts mentioned

. . People mentioned

 

WRITINGS BY OTHERS

. . Chronological

. . Index

. . Press cuttings

. . Reviews-FB books

. .

OTHER MATERIAL

. . Photograph Album

. . Audio and video

 

Abbreviations

 

Contact FB

Contact Webmaster

 

Copyright

Disclaimer

 

Acrobat reader

This personal site is based in England. It was created on 9 November 1999 and mainly comprises downloadable books, articles and other writings by Francis Bennion, of which there are currently 965: see Chronological in left sidebar below. In 2011 this site was added to the Bodleian Library archive as being 'of lasting research value and worthy of permanent preservation for the benefit of historians and researchers'.

The site was last updated Monday 14 May 2012

This week's shout:

When on earth is development ‘sustainable’?

Guide to FB's website

 

Click on this link for a short pdf 'slideshow' on how to use this website.

 

Move from slide to slide using the scroll bar on the right.

Following 'FB'

If you would like to know when FB updates his website or when he is mentioned on the Web we recommend using Google's 'Alerts' system.

To do this click on this link and enter "Francis Bennion" in the 'Search query' box (Note: You MUST include the double quotes!) and type your own email address in the 'Your email' box.

 

Latest additions to this site

 

'The crazy concept of sustainable development' (4 May 2012)

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An evolutionary solution to the problem of House of Lords reform (23 April 2012)

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Sustainable Development: a Monstrous Planning Term (13 Apr 2012)

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Aggressive tax avoidance (30 Mar 2012)

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Is £5,000 wrongful payment matter closed? (30 Mar 2012)

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The Hain Prosecution for Criminal Conspiracy (21 Mar 2012)

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Francis Bennion - the director of private prosecutions (21 Mar 2012)

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Are tax authorities acting outside the law? (2 Mar 2012)

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About Francis Bennion . . .

Born 2 January 1923 in Cheshire, England, FB remains active as a writer and academic. At his Devon home, using the internet, he writes or updates his books and articles, does occasional broadcasts, and, with around 150 letters in the Times, as well as many in other newspapers and journals, spreads his opinions on many matters of public concern. Since 1984 he has been a research associate of the Oxford University Centre for Socio-Legal Studies.

During World War II, FB served as a volunteer RAF pilot. He then read law at Balliol and was called to the Bar by the Middle Temple. He became law tutor at St Edmund Hall Oxford, last of the medieval halls. He then practised at the Bar in common law and human rights cases. Later he served 14 years in the Westminster Parliamentary Counsel Office drafting Acts of Parliament for the British Government.

In 1956 FB drafted the constitution by which Pakistan became a republic. Then in 1960 he drafted the constitution by which Ghana became a republic. His first book, explaining the Ghana constitution, followed in 1962.

In the 1960s FB served as chief executive of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and wrote Professional Ethics. He has also written a book, The Sex Code, on sexual ethics.

In 1971-72 FB brought a private prosecution against Peter Hain. After a 10-day Old Bailey trial Hain was convicted of criminal conspiracy to organise illegal direct action protests. His appeal was rejected.

In 1984 FB published his main work, Statutory Interpretation. The fifth edition of this, totalling over 1700 pages, was published in 2008.

FB has founded or co-founded various bodies including the World of Property Housing Trust, Towards One World, the Professional Association of Teachers, the Statute Law Society, the Statute Law Trust, Freedom Under Law, the Dicey Trust, Areopagitica Educational Trust and Towards One World.

FB’s books

Law books

by Francis Bennion

FB's Lifetime Achievements

What people say . . .

‘I would say that he is one of the Great British Eccentrics - you may not agree with everything he writes, but you cannot fail to be impressed.’"

Delia Venables

This changes daily.See also my four other daily quotations .

Poetic thought for today

FB's poetic thought for 18 May 2012 is from his book, POEMOTIONS:
You are much thought of, highly prized,
chosen to be the front of marching men
evolving to the universal Whole.

Epistolary thought for today

FB's epistolary thought for 18 May 2012 is from his Times letters:
The proposal to change the law so that the trial court can draw an adverse inference from the accused's silence . . . is vitiated by a simple logical defect. (1988)

Review extract for today

The extract for 18 May 2012 from a review of FB's book STATUTORY INTERPRETATION is:
'He has produced a code, contained in 396 propositions. . . massive, full of history, learning, wide reading, displaying a profound knowledge of our case law and statute law' - New Law Journal

See the complete collection of 31 extracts

Moral thought for today

FB's moral thought for 18 May 2012 is :
Defeat is when you are vanquished, not when you admit you are vanquished.

 

FB's Video Blogs on YouTube

No.6: Teachers' Pensions: a Comment on the One-Day Strike

No.5: Unison Threatens the Government

No.4: Teachers' Pensions: A flight from Reason

No.3: House of Lords Reform

No.2: Expert Exposes the Danger of AV

No.1: The Dishonesty of the Alternative Vote System