The Power In The People
How We Can Change The World
Will be published approx. on 17. April 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
288 pages
978-1-80096-145-6 (ISBN)
Description
'Michael Mansfield has given power to the voiceless, the innocents ... For this, he too is a hero' - JOHN PILGER
'Michael Mansfield combines rare humanity with a brilliant understanding of the law' - JON SNOW
'A book of great importance ... Mr Mansfield's thoughtful reflections demand our attention' - KEN LOACH
'I want this book to inspire people, give them a blueprint for fighting their own battles, and challenge the status quo. To see that together, we are always stronger. To understand that those who stand in the way of change cannot do so forever.' Michael Mansfield, KC
Barrister Michael Mansfield, KC, has spent his career fighting injustice, persecution and corruption. And be it the Birmingham Six, Bloody Sunday, Stephen Lawrence, the Marchioness, Hillsborough or Grenfell, he has come to learn one thing - that people power is unstoppable.
Time and again he has witnessed governments, police forces, legal institutions and the establishment, try to block change and maintain the status quo in order to protect their interests. But almost every time he has seen that passion, perseverance, collectivity and courage create a powerful momentum which is increasingly difficult to stop.
In this short but powerful book, the veteran barrister draws upon his 50 years of fighting for justice and revisits his most important cases and clients, proving without doubt that when people get together they can make lasting and positive change.
'Michael Mansfield combines rare humanity with a brilliant understanding of the law' - JON SNOW
'A book of great importance ... Mr Mansfield's thoughtful reflections demand our attention' - KEN LOACH
'I want this book to inspire people, give them a blueprint for fighting their own battles, and challenge the status quo. To see that together, we are always stronger. To understand that those who stand in the way of change cannot do so forever.' Michael Mansfield, KC
Barrister Michael Mansfield, KC, has spent his career fighting injustice, persecution and corruption. And be it the Birmingham Six, Bloody Sunday, Stephen Lawrence, the Marchioness, Hillsborough or Grenfell, he has come to learn one thing - that people power is unstoppable.
Time and again he has witnessed governments, police forces, legal institutions and the establishment, try to block change and maintain the status quo in order to protect their interests. But almost every time he has seen that passion, perseverance, collectivity and courage create a powerful momentum which is increasingly difficult to stop.
In this short but powerful book, the veteran barrister draws upon his 50 years of fighting for justice and revisits his most important cases and clients, proving without doubt that when people get together they can make lasting and positive change.
Reviews / Votes
Michael Mansfield is the greatest civil liberties lawyer this country has ever produced. He charts many of his cases in this extraordinary book. A titanic lawyer, a brilliant history of struggle for justice. What a legacy -- Baroness HELENA KENNEDY of the Shaws KC Michael Mansfield's work has often given the law undeserved distinction. In a remarkable career, he has given power to the voiceless, the innocents of a justice system corrupted by political miscarriage: from the miners to the Birmingham Six to the Hillsborough families: they who stand and fight and are the heroes of our society. For this, he too is a hero. -- JOHN PILGER Michael Mansfield combines rare humanity with a brilliant understanding of the law. Reading this book one realises the exceptional talent he was prepared to devote to the needs of those seeking his legal skills, whatever their status. -- Jon Snow This is a book of great importance. It asks a simple but profound question: how can the law and legal process fulfil our demand for natural justice? Michael Mansfield examines notorious miscarriages of justice and the tenacity of those who fought to reverse them. Then he describes the long struggles to demand truth and accountability from those in power. The trials, the campaigns, and particularly the Public Enquiries are recorded here with the authority of someone who was a leading figure in most of them.What emerges is the necessity of struggle, and the strength, courage and determination it demands. Those in power resist being held responsible for their failures. How long did the victims of Bloody Sunday wait for justice? Or the families of those who died in Hillsborough? Or the Birmingham 6, Guildford 4, and so many others, including the survivors of the Grenfell fire?
It is clear that the rule of law is only sufficient if the law will give us justice. This is a class issue. Those with wealth and property have their interests better served than the ordinary citizen.
Mr Mansfield has spent a lifetime at the forefront of this struggle, and is considered by many to be the outstanding barrister of his generation. His thoughtful reflections on these questions demand our attention. This book is a challenge, certainly, but also an act of solidarity. -- Ken Loach Part-memoir, part-manifesto, The Power in the People, by one of our finest and most outspoken lawyers, should be read by anyone concerned about our justice system, our wilting democracy - and the planet. From his involvement in cases like the Birmingham Six and the Mangrove Nine, through those of Stephen Lawrence, Hillsborough and Grenfell, Mansfield has seen the world at its worst - and its best - and argues that we can learn much from the campaigns that fought against injustices and against the odds. An impressive and inspiring read. -- Duncan Campbell
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Octopus Publishing Group
Dimensions
Height: 194 mm
Width: 125 mm
Thickness: 20 mm
Weight
204 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-80096-145-6 (9781800961456)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
MICHAEL MANSFIELD, KC, was called to the bar in 1967 and became Queens Counsel in 1989. Passionate about civil liberties and overturning miscarriages of justice he represented clients from the Birmingham 6, the Guildford 4 and the Tottenham 3. He has fought for the Orgreave miners and for the families of victims of Bloody Sunday, Hillsborough, the Marchioness, Lockerbie and Grenfell, as well as for the parents of Stephen Lawrence.
Following the tragic death of his daughter by suicide in 2015, he and his wife, Yvette, set up the charity SOS to campaign for the provision of mental health support and suicide awareness.
He has published several books including his autobiography, Memoirs of a Radical Lawyer(Bloomsbury, 2009).
In 2017 Michael celebrated 50 years at the bar, but shows no sign of retiring, in fact he recently launched a podcast Two Heads with fellow barrister Lorna Hackett.
He lives with Yvette near Stratford On Avon, Warwickshire.
Following the tragic death of his daughter by suicide in 2015, he and his wife, Yvette, set up the charity SOS to campaign for the provision of mental health support and suicide awareness.
He has published several books including his autobiography, Memoirs of a Radical Lawyer(Bloomsbury, 2009).
In 2017 Michael celebrated 50 years at the bar, but shows no sign of retiring, in fact he recently launched a podcast Two Heads with fellow barrister Lorna Hackett.
He lives with Yvette near Stratford On Avon, Warwickshire.