Priti Patel has once again shown her contempt for the rule of law and the role of the law in a democratic society. Not only does she continue to ascribe political views and or motives to the lawyers who seek to represent their clients within the legal system to the best of their ability but she now refers to those lawyers in the same breath as denouncing traffickers. She appears to have no interest in grasping that, however, she wishes it otherwise, she is not above the law and as Home Secretary she should take care not to diminish the standing of her senior position by populist and ill-considered rhetoric. Her views bear no relationship to the harsh reality of many refugees’ lives. She might usefully remind herself that human rights are about the fundamental freedoms for us all and are not something to be mocked and that an effective legal system protects us all from an overbearing government.  To demonise those who claim asylum and those who seek to uphold their clients’ rights only reflects badly on her and is no answer to the failings in the Home Office system, for which she is of course ultimately responsible.