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"The reasonable man is the man on the Clapham omnibus" This is the iconic British legal quote by Lord Bowen (19th century) explaining in a witty way that the legal standard isn't a genius or a professor; it is just a random, ordinary commuter riding public transit. In legal context, the term "reasonable man" or "ordinary mind" is foundational to contract law, tort liability, and the standard of reasonableness. Defamation cases hinge heavily on how words are interpreted. Courts evaluate statements based on their "natural and ordinary meaning" which includes literal statements and implicit insinuations. Judges determine how a "reasonable man" would interpret the words in context. This isn't just about dictionary definitions; it includes the subtext, tone, and overall impression left on the audience.  The "reasonable man" doesn't mean any Tan, Ahmad or Subramaniam. Common law principles describe this person as...

Recently CJ Menon spoke about "Truth Decay" in the social media world. The lived experience of anybody who scrolls down his Facebook everyday can attest, There seems to be more misinformation, disinformation and fake memes, videos than factual ones. Some fakes are harmless pranks, jokes or satires which I don't have a problem with. Some are very serious matters and many share carelessly thus amplifying its reach. It seems to me Trump and Israel are consistent high targets for "Truth Decay".  I like to share for illustration a Facebook post by someone from the legal profession and you can see how truth decays. The post contents are in italics, followed by my comments. "I have this feeling that America might just implode under the leadership of Trump. And he is only into his (mid-) second year of his second term.  Widespread division, which is blatantly obvious at this stage, is one thing, but are his supporters over there really that numbed to...

If you're an oldie like me you probably recall the 1979 pop song "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the British band The Buggles. It deals with the paradox of how the people pushing for advancing of one technology actually causes their very own demise. There is a philosophical resonance in current times with AI where the promise of unprecedented wonders to elevate society projects alongside existential fears that threaten our fundamental human agency. A civilization drives progress so aggressively that they create the very conditions that make themselves obsolete.  The creator creates the destroyer This “Creator creates the destroyer” motif is fundamentally a tragedy of progress and it appears everywhere. We see this in inventors displaced by their inventions, revolutionaries consumed by revolutions, empires destroyed by systems they built, scientists overtaken by technology, capitalism automating away human labour and now, AI researchers creating systems that may margina...

Bertha Henson 8 May 2026 "I wouldm't even mind a lecture on what should be in the law and what can be up to executive discretion or put as 'regulations' - if the G is inclined to give it. Or the AGC. Or the opposition. Or any lawyer." Following an internal review, the government found that certain agencies of the Ministry of National Development (HDB, URA, NParks, BCA) have collected certain fees for decades which have not been anchored in legislation. Parliament passed a legislation to retroactively validate these collections.  The government took a "rule-by-law" (legality) argument that the fees were charged in good faith, services were genuinely provided, costs were genuinely incurred, and the issue was more one of legal formality or technical basis rather than wrongful enrichment. The opposition Workers' Party took the "rule-of-law" argument that if the fees lacked legislative authority, then on what basis were Singaporeans compe...

"Corrupt Legislation" (1896) is a mural by Elihu Vedder located in the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building lobby in Washington, D.C. It is a symbolic, allegorical depiction of corruption in government. How many signs can you see? It's not Lady Justice holding the scale but an ambiguous, morally compromised figure. The scale is only one half - justice is not balanced. A rich figure places money on the scale. A youth asking for work or help - the ordinary guy ignored by a corrupt system. At it's core the mural is a critique of how law can be captured by power and money. In my previous post on the hooks vs laws relating to the Bloomberg defamation trial  I made the point some people form their opinion from fragmented information flows where short, striking details travel further than full explanations ever can. Folks perhaps cannot comprehend the complexities, or too lazy to check and verify, succumb to cognitive bias and believe the constructed narra...