Lawyers behind the Commission of Inquiry into Legal Aid were well aware of the accusations of bias likely to be levied against them. As leftfield organisations opposing the legal aid budget cuts the Young Legal Aid Lawyers and the Haldane Society expected to be criticised for trying to pass off their inquiry as a piece of independent research.
The new sentencing guidelines are designed to ensure consistency and transparency, and give equal weight to both harm and culpability, argues Rosalind Campion as she rebuffs Jeannie Mackie's criticism
Returning to Victorian times in the contraption made famous in the 1895 novella by HG Wells, The Time Machine, the 21st century observer would notice many differences between modern-day life and yesteryear: ladies of all social classes in glorious hats; no self-service; a most excellent railway system and reliable post (delivering up to five times daily – not five times a week now if you are lucky).
