'What have the Romans ever done for us?' is one of the most quoted scenes from Monty Python's iconic film, Life of Brian. John Cleese as Reg, leader of The People's Front of Judea, poses the question at a secret meeting of the group, expecting no or few positive responses from his colleagues. This, he hopes, will reinforce the group's resolve to overthrow their 'pointless' and unwelcome rulers. Instead, their brainstormed list of the benefits of Roman occupation grows and grows, with great comic effect. Exasperated, in an effort to bring the discussion to an end, Reg snarls: 'Alright - but apart from sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the freshwater system and public health ... what have the Romans ever done for us?' (The next and final answer, before the meeting is suddenly interrupted by a threatening knock on the door, is: 'Brought peace'). The serious point, well made by this film scene, is that the influence of the Roman Empire in the Continue Reading
How Insurance Disclosure Reform Can Help Your Claim Succeed (And Save You Money)
Consumer claims on home and other insurance policies should now succeed more easily We’re now just over a year into a new legal framework which could benefit you, as a consumer, if you have to make a claim on insurance and your insurer refuses to honour it. The range of consumer insurance policies affected is very wide indeed. In our experience, most people have a wrangle with an insurance company sooner or later. This change to the law is something worth bearing in mind if you find yourself in dispute with an insurer over a claim you have made on a policy. The fatal mistake – failure to disclose Typically, the scenario is one where your insurer says that, at the time you took out the insurance (or renewed it), you failed to tell them about some important fact which would have influenced the level of premium – or even whether they would have agreed to insure you at all. In those circumstances, the insurer would refuse to pay out on your claim, or could impose Continue Reading