“Bills of rights serve many purposes. In young nations they can help heal wounds and bring formerly warring factions together. In older democracies, a clear articulation of hard-won freedoms should ward off complacency and remind a society of its foundations. In either event, no bill, charter, declaration or rights act is worth its salt unless it goes some way towards protecting the vulnerable from neglect of duty and abuse of power.”
The Guardian, 2nd March 2010
Source: www.guardian.co.uk