OK, this we like

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This is very welcome. I won't take down the 'No2ID' flash just yet (call me cynical if you will), but it's promising.

I don't tend to bang on too much about civil liberties or the law and its administration, but it is something I'm deeply interested in. Although I have many reservations about the likely longevity of the ConDem (sorry) project, I do like their statement of intent on civil liberties:

The parties agree to implement a full programme of measures to reverse the substantial erosion of civil liberties under the Labour Government and roll back state intrusion.

This will include:

* A Freedom or Great Repeal Bill.

* The scrapping of ID card scheme, the National Identity register, the next generation of biometric passports and the Contact Point Database.

* Outlawing the finger-printing of children at school without parental permission.

* The extension of the scope of the Freedom of Information Act to provide greater transparency.

* Adopting the protections of the Scottish model for the DNA database.

* The protection of historic freedoms through the defence of trial by jury.

* The restoration of rights to non-violent protest.

* The review of libel laws to protect freedom of speech.

* Safeguards against the misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.

* Further regulation of CCTV.

* Ending of storage of internet and email records without good reason.

* A new mechanism to prevent the proliferation of unnecessary new criminal offences.

As ever, the devil will be in the detail, and phrases like "without good reason" and "unnecessary new criminal offences" leave plenty of wriggle room while saying little of substance. But, as I say, promising as a statement of intent if we take it at face value.

How things will go with Ken Clarke as the new Justice Minister and Lord Chancellor remains to be seen. In an age when politicians appointed to Departments have seldom had the slightest acquaintance with what they're supposedly in charge of, we note that he is a lawyer (Queen's Counsel since 1980) and, as a former Home Secretary before Justice was spun off, has already done a lot of groundwork. (As an aside, and ignoring for the moment his other activities and policies, he gets marks from me for the cigar habit and liking real ale and jazz. Sorry. I'm a bit of a sleazebag myself in those areas.)

All of which is fairly promising. But the budgets in the justice system have been repeatedly cut for some years already; legal aid, for example, has been cut back cruelly and more and more defendants are standing unrepresented in court, or are represented by lawyers who simply cannot afford to do all that they should do, and would wish to do, for their client.

We all know that cuts in public services have to be made, and I've been chuntering on about it for long enough myself. I just hope that our legal system can be preserved from the worst of the storm, for so much depends on it.

OK, thank you for listening, and apologies for the serious tone. We will return you now to our usual programme of facetious bollocks.