Welcome Newcomer (Part 2)

One of our regular commenters has set up his own blog here. His comments under the nom-de-keyboard of Phatboy were always worth reading.

Uncertainty

In the retiring room, or the bench meeting, or the Legal Aid solicitors' meeting,or the court staff meeting, or the Probation staff meeting, or the Justices' Clerks' meeting, or the (contracted-out) minimum-wage security staff meeting, or the tea-room meetings of the thousands of people who work in and around the courts, the usual cheerful gossip has given way to an awkward silence. The proposed changes, cuts, what-you-will, are bruited to be of an entirely new order, far surpassing anything we have previously experienced. Nothing is sacred, nothing is too important to be unceremoniously dumped.
That the axe will fall is a given. Where it will fall is unknown, except to those on the inside.
Jobs will go of course. That is a blow to a part-time clerk whose spouse has a decent job, but a catastrophe to the poor sod manning the front desk who relies on his couple of hundred quid a week minimum wage to support his family. Courts will close. Tea ladies will have to look for something else to do. Bewildered semi-literate and not even half-educated people charged with an offence will have to hack their way through the undergrowth of the law without professional help. High Street solicitors who have slogged away for years at the down-and-dirty end of the law, earning a fraction of the money that their glossy colleagues make, will face the closure of their firms. Small niceties and common decencies will be swept aside by otherwise nice people, who murmur "there's no money, you see" as they ease people out of the door and turn the key with a sigh that is more relief than regret.
I haven't the heart to post too much day-to-day court stuff, because the landscape may be so very different in the not so distant future, that what I write may just look absurd - a bit like being the amusing entertainer on RMS Titanic.
As one of nature's optimists, I am sure things will sort themselves out, and a different but still worthwhile justice system will emerge.
But it's pretty scary right now.

Veil of Tears

This is a situation that most JPs and court clerks will have thought about. Every case stands on its merits, but I suspect that I would have taken the same view as my East Midlands colleagues.

MA - Not Quite There Yet

A week or two ago the Mags Association asked to confirm my email address, as they intend, very sensibly, to communicate a lot more via the Internet in future.

Today I received an email over Chairman John Thornhill's name asking my views on the optimum size for a bench. I excitedly clicked on the link, eager to play my full part in the MA.

It didn't work.

Desperately Sad

The jury in the Mark Saunders case has returned its verdict. So be it.
We must accept that the killing was lawful, but I beg to question whether it was necessary.
This article in a conservative newspaper deals with many of the relevant issues.

(later) Here is Max Hastings' view in another conservative newspaper.

And here is what the Coroner has said.

Here's a fellow barrister's comment.

New Boy Hits The Ground Running

A few weeks ago I gave a mention to a new blog by a probation officer. The author has got off to a cracking start, and I truly feel that every sentencer ought to read his blog with care.
Until I read the blog I had no idea that the probation officers who serve our courts are not all the professionally qualified people that we used to know - the difference between a PO and a PSO is as broad as that between a PC and a PCSO. There are some jobs that are so central to public safety that they should never be given to second-line part trained staff.
Our author will never get the readership of, say, Inspector Gadget, because he prefers to look at things in depth, rather than simply sloganise. But his postings add real value to the criminal justice debate, and that's worth more than all the ranters put together.

Fair Enough

The Judicial Studies Board has published a new Guide to fairness that every judicial office-holder and all regular court users should read. At first sight it seems to be common sense; I shall read it with interest.

Tale Of Two Emails And One Bulletin

Two emails have arrived from HMCS addresses this evening. One is an 'organogram' whatever that may be.

The second has been expected for some time: funding for biscuits has been withdrawn.

The Judiciary email that arrives every Friday this week carries some good news for judges, who are to have their laptops replaced, and will henceforth have a choice of three types. So that's all right then.

New Term

Every bench is obliged to hold its AGM about now, to transact the important business of electing its officers and committees, and drawing a line under the old year as we look forward to the next. Those elected take office on the 1st of January. This year my bench has elected a new set of faces, as last year's officers have all stood down. There are differences of practice across the country, but our setup of a Chairman and three deputies is pretty common. Only one of the four has previous experience of being a Bench officer, which will allow a fresh start to face the challenges of a year of likely radical change. The new Chairman will go on a three-day residential course run by the Judicial Studies Board at Madingley near Cambridge. The course is made up of lectures discussions and practical exercises to prepare the new Chairmen for their duties, many of which are laid down by law, and there is an important opportunity to socialise and discuss current issues with their peers - and there are a lot of current issues.
Everything will now be in limbo until the Government announces definitive spending plans later this month. We have a pretty good idea of what is likely to happen in London and the new boys will have to devote themselves to making the whole thing work. As an old hand I shall offer my full support to my new Chairman but take good care not to get under her feet.

Phew!

The mouse-finger on my right hand is suffering from the 650-odd emails that I have had to get rid of today.
Normandy is great at this time of year (and "les St Jacques sont arrivées" is a sign to lift the soul).
Random thoughts are the best that I can manage today, so here are a few:-
The French have changed the number plate format on their cars, (for new and resold vehicles). They are now in the pan-European format; another nail in the coffin of regional differences.
I had a decent bistro lunch in Pont l'Éveque (and of course I bought the eponymous cheese). We had a look round the church, and saw a small display of old photographs including one of what was left of the church in 1944.
The church appears to have been destroyed in one war or another on a regular basis over about 700 years, and I was reminded of the argument that I tend to produce in the pub when some Daily Mail reading oaf starts to bang on about the EU. Of course there have been some absurd rules from Brussels about straight bananas and suchlike, but too many of us have forgotten that the founding fathers of the Community wanted to ensure, through economic interdependence, that land wars in Europe would be a thing of the past. And it worked. France was invaded by German troops three times in about 70 years; millions died. Since 1945 - peace. That alone justifies the whole EU in my view.
France is very expensive these days. A modest lunch for two can easily run to £35 with just one small drink each, and that will more than double if you hit the a la carte and buy a bottle of wine.
And as for wine........
The supermarkets all have a 'Foire des Vins' on at the moment. Stacks of wooden cases cover the floor next to laden shelves. Weighty tomes from the likes of Gault-Millau are on hand to guide the punter. I leafed through a few, and I still haven't got a clue about wine. I have glugged a drop or two over the last 40-odd years, and these days most of what I buy is from any country but my beloved France, because, mes braves, you will tell me the producer and the terroir and the domaine and the cru and the appellation, but what you never tell a poor thirsty Anglais, is what it tastes like, and whether I will like it.
The label is no guide, nor is the price, nor is Gault-sodding-Millau. Sharpen up mes amis, or the antipodeans will have you for petit déjeuner.