Who should decide if you are guilty: the state, or a group of 12 ordinary citizens?

England is now considering getting rid of jury trials for thousands of cases. It would be the biggest change to the justice system since the Middle Ages.

• Crown Court backlog: years-long waits for trials.
• Government bill to limit juries for mid-level offences.
• Serious crimes still keep juries: murder, rape, terrorism.
• Legal community warns against losing a key safeguard.
• How jury trials work in England and Wales.
• England uses juries; Europe uses judge-led trials.
• History: Athens, Assize of Clarendon, Magna Carta.
• Purpose of juries: legitimacy, independence, protect against state power.
• Jury nullification shown: Penn, Ponting, Bristol Colston statue.
• Debate: efficiency versus rights, slippery slope concerns.

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From The Vault 🔐 — normally a member-only episode, unlocked this month for everyone.

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He has been called the father of modern tourism and was responsible for opening up the world to people who had never previously had the opportunity to travel.

In this episode, we take a look at the life of Thomas Cook, the alcohol-hating travel pioneer.

- Thomas Cook in the modern day
- The early life of Thomas Cook
- What was life like in 19th-century Britain?
- The problem of alcohol in 19th-century Britain
- The technological developments of the Industrial Revolution
- The early life of Thomas Cook
- The idea for Thomas Cook’s travel business
- The first Thomas Cook tour
- Transporting workers to The Great Exhibition
- Expanding to Europe and worldwide
- The legacy of Thomas Cook

📖 Full interactive transcript, subtitles, key vocabulary & PDF study pack available at: https://www.leonardoenglish.com/podcasts/thomas-cook

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When Thomas Aikenhead was hanged in 1697 for questioning the Bible, it was the last time someone was executed for blasphemy in Britain. But it didn't mean that debates around blasphemy went away.

In this episode, we'll trace the history of blasphemy in Britain, and discover how debates about insulting religion still shape British law and public life today.

• Thomas Aikenhead: last execution for blasphemy in Britain, 1697.
• Blasphemy’s Greek roots: harmful speech, not originally religious.
• Church and Crown fused; blasphemy protected political order.
• Percy Shelley expelled for publishing The Necessity of Atheism.
• Richard Carlile imprisoned for publishing Paine’s The Age of Reason.
• 1977 Gay News case: editor convicted for blasphemous poem.
• Life of Brian controversy showed debate still alive.
• Blasphemy law protected Christianity only; Muslims unprotected during Rushdie.
• 2008 abolition followed debate: protect people, not ideas.
• Tahir Ali proposed new blasphemy law; government rejected.

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🔓 Unlock bonus episodes, interactive transcripts, subtitles & vocabulary lists

✨ 5 Powerful Tips for Learning English with Podcasts (Faster & Effectively!) [YouTube]

📹 A look inside Leonardo English membership

📧 Join our FREE weekly newsletter

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Keywords: Learn English, vocabulary, lessons, idioms, aprende inglés, idiomas, aprender inglês, apprendre l'anglais, imparare l’inglese, ingilizce öğren,英語を習う, تعلم الإنجليزية