... 139ItiscommonlystatedthattheCourthasbecome‘avictimofitsownsuccess’.IntherunuptoProtocol14,numbers(ofapplications,decisions,pendingcases,judgments)wereconstantlydebated.TheimageofModernTimeswhereCharlieChaplin’shandscontinuemechanicallytotwistinthegesturewhichtheyhaverepeatedlyperformedintheprevioushourscametomymindasIwastoldofthe800letterswhicharriveddailyatStrasbourg.Howwerealltheselettershandled?Iwasshownclosetsfullofdocumentsaswellaspilesofpapersondesks.CouldtheStrasbourgstafflosetheircomposureandstarttotwitchastheysortedletters,affixedstampsandturnedtheirattentiontothenextbatchofdocuments?ThecomparisonbetweentheStrasbourgCourtandModernTimesshouldobviouslynotbepushedtoofar.TheCourtisnotthemadmachineofChaplin’sfactory.Nonetheless,despitesomereassuringsignswithintheConventionsystem,suchasthefactthattheCourthasrecommended,inrespectoftheinitialstageoftheproceedings,neithertheabolitionofthepossibilityofusinganyofthenationalofficiallanguagesrecognizedinstatesbelongingtotheCouncilofEuropenorthecreationofarequirementofbeinglegallyrepresented,67theproceduralstrainsunderwhichtheCourtfunctionsthrowintoreliefthequestionofhowitcanadequatelyrespondtotheindividualapplicantswhocomecallingatitsdoors.Thepertinenceofthisquestionishighlightedinthenextsectionthroughthediscussion ... 121120MessochoritisvGreece(Application41867/98)12April2001121TalalAsad,‘Whatdohumanrightsdo?Ananthropologicalenquiry’(2000)4TheoryandEvent27,atpara.40.122Ibid.,atpara.43.123Ibid.,atpara.57.124Ibid.,atpara.43.125‘Politicalemancipationisofcourseagreatprogress.Althoughitisnotthefinalformofhumanemancipationingeneral,itisneverthelessthefinalformofhumanemancipationinsidethepresentworldorder’:Marx,‘JewishQuestion’,at54.126Ibid.,at64.127ClaudeLefortsaysiteloquently:‘Lacritiquedel’individus’exerced’emble´edansleshorizonsd’unethe´oriedelasocie´te´ou`setrouventaboliesladimensiondupouvoiretaveccelle-ciladimensiondelaloietcelledusavoir ... learnthattherearesomeproblemsinEurope:civilproceed-ingsaretoolengthy,journalistscannotalwayssaywhattheywant,thedueprocessrightsofwhitecollardefendantsareoftennotfullyobserved.Butonthewhole,Europeisingoodshape.76ThispassagesuggeststhattheCourtisnottacklingtherealproblemswhichbesetEurope.Itsunderlyingthesiscouldbephrasedasfollows:theCourtisfulfillingitsideologicalfunctionofappearingtoprotectthehumanrightsofallwithinthejurisdictionoftheCouncilofEurope,whileinfactconcentratingontheprotec-tionoftherightsoftheprivilegedandforgettingabouteveryoneelse(whothusbecomethe‘Other’).Thelawyer-backedapplicanthasalegalissue,whichnicelyfitsthetermsoftheConvention,constructedoutofhiscase;thepoor,legallyilliterateapplicantisseenasposingaproblemofproceduralefficiency,ofhowbesttoeliminatehimfromthesystem.EversincetheCourthasstartedtofunction,thebulkofitscaselawhasconcernedArticle6oftheConvention,whichguaranteesafairtrial.Withinthiscaselaw,mostcasesconcernthefailurebynationalauthoritiestoprovideatrialwithinareasonabletime.Thefiguresareastounding.OnthebasisofthesurveyofactivitiesproducedbytheRegistryoftheCourtfortheperiodbetween1959–1990,Ihavecountedthat,outofthe272principalissueswhichwereraisedinthe235casesdecidedbytheCourtinthesethreedecades,143concernedArticle6 .Of these,58concernedlengthyproceedings.Tenyearslater,thistrendhadnotchanged.77Evenifoneputsasidethe‘lengthy’proceedingscases,Article6remainstodaytheprovisionmostoftenarguedbeforetheCourt,immediatelyfollowedbyArticle5,onthelegalityofdetention.78ItwouldberidiculoustoarguethatArticles6and5donotconcerncrucialrights.79FailurebytheCourttofindtheseArticlesapplicablecanhavedramaticconsequences;findingsofviolationofbothArticle6andArticle5canbeveryimportant.Amultitudeofexamplescouldbetakentomakethesetwopoints.Maaouiav.Francewillbereviewedtoillustratetheformer;80Sanderv.UnitedKingdom,81whichhappenstodealwithracism,thesubjectofthenextsection,toillustrate...