JUST A FEW COMMENTS

This morning with little legal news that I thought worthy of comment I scanned the Branch pages of the Magistrates Association`s recently revamped website.  Below are a few of the comments which might cause just a flicker of interest.

"Appraisals.

We are in discussions over winger appraisers being able to appraise Chairman in the Adult, Family and Youth Court. The Committee feel that an winger appraiser, who does exactly the same appraiser training course as a chair, should be able to appraise the competencies required, in fact are sometimes in a better position to do that as a winger.  If you have any comments or would like to get in touch, my contact details are below."

"John Hayward then spoke of developments and issues of interest at the MA. The 4 constituent parts of the MA are:

1.Its future: There must be on going debate about the future of the magistracy. The MA does not support the idea of a fixed 10-year term for magistrates. The proposal has been watered down and Lord Leveson is compiling a review that should result in more work going to the Magistrates’ Court rather than the Crown Court."

"1.    Reports:  All the reports had been sent to the MA to be posted on the Branch Pages, but this had not been done and the branch pages could not be accessed on the new MA website. Brief report were given to the meeting and members were told if they wanted the full reports to contact the secretary and she would email them out."

"·  New Magistrates' Induction Evening

• Date: 9 September, 2015 
• Time: 00:00 " 

"Our Key Tasks are:
>To provide Annual Training for Branch members
>To develop ways for members to meet socially
>To develop a social group for supplemental magistrates."

"We will all do whatever it takes to support members in every aspect of their involvement in the Magistrates' Association and the magistracy."

"Branch events

·         TBC

• Date: 1 January, 1970
• Time: 00:00" 
• 
  

"No contested nominations were received for any post ahead of the meeting."

"Miss S had the opportunity to talk to the MA membership secretary and confirm that they were altering their approach to members who were retiring by contacting them much earlier in an attempt to retain their membership. The need to retain the membership of retiring members in view of the limited level of recruitment of magistrates continues to be one of the MAs main objectives."



 "At present the membership is 279 and represents just <50% of the  Bench"

AD NAUSEAM AT THE MINISTRY OF JUSTICE PRESS OFFICE

It seems the penny has finally dropped........upon the editors of this country`s national media; that the criminal justice system is crumbling at its roots these roots being magistrates` courts where over 90% of criminal matters begin and are concluded.  Since 2010 when the first court closures began there would be an occasional protest in a local newspaper serving the area and a generic response from the local M.P.  By and large national media avoided the issue.  The s*** is now hitting the MOJ fan.  Grayling`s ban on books for prisoners has been lifted but nothing else of note has taken place since Michael Gove took over his unlamented predecessor`s chair at Petty France.   The Law Society Gazette many of whose subscribers not unnaturally have a vested interest has kept the topic bubbling as its latest edition indicates but it reaches a limited audience.  National media have been relatively quiet on the topic. However, today both BBC and the Mirror have made limited headlines on the further closures planned for this parliament.  

But and it`s a big but; why have the  senior judiciary remained silent at least in public?  Are they so concerned with their pensions and their so called constitutional position?  Are they all awaiting retirement when they can excoriate this and the previous government`s emasculation of our justice system including its latest manifestation in the Courts Charge where once again the MOJ press office taking its cue from Pravda, that late unlamented organ of a not so free press beloved in its heyday by Marxists everywhere, repeats its lying mantra in the Law Society Gazette, " A ministry spokesperson said: ‘It is right that convicted adult offenders who use our criminal courts should pay towards the cost of running them. ‘The introduction of this charge makes it possible to recover some of the costs of the criminal courts from these offenders, therefore reducing the burden on taxpayers." when it has been universally denounced.

These people really do exist in a different dimension where in order to make something seem true it only has to be repeated ad nauseam. 

POLICE SHOULD WELCOME SCRUTINY OVER TINSEL AND GLITTER REALITY TV

It seems to this blogger that the more active an organisation`s press office appears to be the more it has to hide.  One could say that media exposure is inversely proportional to organisational probity. With the MOJ that was obvious to all who took an interest.  It seems that the Met Police press office is not far behind its MOJ comrades in following their maxim of the more we say the less we reveal.  However like a habit forming junkie the more that maxim is followed the less its effect.  

Earlier this year Scotland Yard appealed once more for possible witnesses to the Dolphin Square paedophile ring to come forward on the basis that the evidence of "Nick"  a supposed victim was credible.  Not everyone agrees.   Now another sensational report has been put about, altogether less successfully, that a serial killer might have been responsible for killing twenty four people by pushing them under tube trains.  The current Met Commissioner is arguably the most skilled operator in public relations who has held the office.  

With all the supposed true to life TV programmes on British policing from motorway cops who are now a rare sight to following police on the beat in Brighton who will themselves become an endangered species following further anticipated funding cuts I would opine that this police  PR roadshow has reached its limits.  Police forces can improve their profiles with the public more by becoming organisations which are truly open to scrutiny rather than manipulating the tinsel and glitter of  reality TV.