Spare a shekel for a judicial review, sir?

Multi-millionaire Stuart Wheeler (that's his daughter pictured, since you ask) has got his cap out by proxy in the Telegraph this morning, with John Gouriet asking for money to fund Wheeler's attempt to have the Lisbon Treaty made the subject of a judicial review. Gouriet, in Grand Constitutional Words Written In Fire, reckons Wheeler's efforts are of a piece with the 1803 case Marbury v. Madison in the United States.

Marbury v Madison was important because it established the notion of judicial review of legislation in the U.S. Essentially, it set the precedent that courts can go beyond ruling on a case on the base of existing law, and can rule that new laws are "unconstitutional". Which is arguably easier when you have a piece of paper with the word "constitution" on it.

Wheeler and Gouriet clearly see themselves as establishing a new 21st century Magna Carta, which would reset the relationship between the courts and the government. Ironically, in this case, the closest thing we have to a judicial review of new legislation is the European Court of Human Rights. And we're kind of assuming here that Wheeler thinks that's a bad thing. It does seem odd that a man arguing that the Lisbon Treaty is the "most shameful and complete surrender of sovereignty in our island history" (in Gouriet's words) would initiate a process which, if successful, would dramatically reduce parliamentary sovereignty. But you've got to spend those betting millions somewhere, right, Stu?