In England and Wales (there is no ‘British’ or UK libel law, Scotland and Northern Ireland have different laws)if you don’t turn up in court or defend yourself, civil judgment is usually entered against you in default. There is no written constitution in England. I think those three facts help illuminate this discussion a bit. Overall, though, one of the worrying things about English libel law is how it is being used by many elements in the world (including the Russians) to sue people from elsewhere if a publication has been made or created electronically in England. It’s interesting to see the debate in a country with genuine freedom of speech. Before any Americans get on their high horses though, I would remind you that the past few years have seen grossly one-sided extradition agreements in criminal matters and attempts to extend civil jurisdiction to things like corporate funding and terrorism that have encouraged US attorneys to effectively drag foreign citizens and companies into the American courts. I would also note the general climate in which rendition occurred, and suggest that a full scale righteous assault on English practice would just simply be dismissed as more of the same. Which is a pity!
