MovieChat Forums > Silk (2011) Discussion > Two questions (from a US watching)

Two questions (from a US watching)

posted 14 years ago by Popinjay37
13 replies | jump to latest

I could probably google these, but I am thinking that if I am wondering the answer to these questions other people watching in the US probably are too.

I have just finished watching the first episode and stopped watching part way through the second to write this message.

First I want to say that the series looks great. I love UK shows for their excellent writing and character development.

The main question I wanted to ask was regarding an offhand comment made in the second episode where one character (sorry, not familiar with all the names yet) said that he lost an appeal for an inmate on death row and that they had to build their own coffins, etc. I thought the death penalty was abolished in the UK? Frankly I have been ashamed that, as far as I knew, the US was the only major industrialized nation that still uses the barbaric practice. Anyway, this statement puzzled me a bit.

Second, I was just wondering what "getting silk" means? Does it mean becoming a judge? I get the impression that ones position is less vulnerable whenever one "gets silk", but I am not quite sure what it means precisely.

Eagerly waiting for the next series of QI...

Popinjay

[–] fred-889 14 years ago

He (that was Clive, played by Rupert Penry-Jones) was referring to a case he fought in a foreign country, I think it was in Africa.

Getting Silk means being made a member of the QC - Queen's Counsel, obviously KC when there's a king. It's a higher rank of barrister, they get better paid, they have the power to choose their cases more than standard barristers. It's the rank barristers want.

[–] Lady_Imrahil 14 years ago

Thanks for clearing that up Fred. I too, was wondering about it. At first I thought it meant something like that, but then later I thought it must mean becoming a judge. Now it all makes more sense. Australian viewer.

Cheers,
Lady Imrahil

[–] fred-889 14 years ago

Just wanted to add, the 'silk' refers to the gown that a QC gets. Rather similar to scholars or exhibitions getting silk colours in their gowns at university.

[–] Popinjay37 14 years ago

Thanks to all for the info!

:)

[–] HamFishJP 14 years ago

To give a bit more detail on the death sentence case. Yes there is no death sentence in the UK expect perhaps for treason and I'm not even sure about that.

However some former colony's still have the Privy Council http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Majesty%27s_Most_Honourable_Privy_Cou ncil as their final court of appeal even though they are now independent. I think the country mentioned in the program was Antigua which was a former British dependency in the West Indies. This can mean that death sentence appeals from these countries can be heard in the UK.

[–] jamesbloke 14 years ago

HamFishJP is correct, it was Antigua. But I was unsure as to whether he'd actually done this or not. Wasn't it just a line to get Niamh into bed?!

[–] seh-7 13 years ago

I think he used his "woe is me" speech to get her into bed, or at the very least impress her with his martyr cloak, but I think he was also meant to have actually done it. (Based on Martha's dig at him as they're walking to court that the great human rights defender is now prosecuting.)

[–] jamesbloke 12 years ago

Just to clear up a couple of points.

1. There is no death sentence for any offence any longer in the UK. It is outlawed by the European Convention on Human Rights, membership of which is a condition of membership of the European Union. Therefore it is not possible to re-instate the death penalty in the UK whilst we are a member state of the European Union.

2. All of the judicial functions of the House of Lords (the final court of appeal in the UK (the Law Lords)), including their role as the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (the final court of appeal for some former colonies), were transferred to the Supreme Court on 1st October 2009.

[–] lawson14 11 years ago

But on George Gently (set in the '60's) they show someone getting the Death Penalty and then within 24 hours, they are sent to the gallows. Is that how it was in the '60's?

[–] malcolm-smith 10 years ago

The death penalty was abolished in the sixties. However a condemned man would have been given three Sundays to make peace before execution.

[–] eddie_willers 11 years ago

1. There is no death sentence for any offence any longer in the UK. It is outlawed by the European Convention on Human Rights, membership of which is a condition of membership of the European Union. Therefore it is not possible to re-instate the death penalty in the UK whilst we are a member state of the European Union.

Tis a pity.

[–] OnceUponATimeInTheWest 11 years ago

I have been watching silk in re-runs and online. Did not realize the series is over two years old and that series 3 is already in the can. Cannot get it it on DVD but it is available to stream on Amazon at least the first season broken up into 6 chapters (not 3) and not all available to stream. So far so good

[–] !!!deleted!!! (41638798) 11 years ago

The UK (with the ban coming later for Northern Ireland) outlawed the death penalty without any help from that jumped up band of crazy morons in the European Court of Human Rights, or the ECJ, who have emerged to tell British judges what to do or have their hands slapped.

Yes, Parliament would now run afoul of the those glorified office clerks at ECHR if they tried to get it back.

But it's been gone a loooooooooooooong time. But not gone before George Gently was sending his folks to the gallows.