Well what a strange day. Up early, woken, as ever, by BBC 5 Live who were running today’s “Justice for Sale” demo in London as the lead news item. This of course meant Grayling was interviewed and the resultant increase in blood pressure made turning over and having a doze impossible.
I released the hounds and then did a couple of idle tweets to counteract ministerial misinformation – over a cup of tea.
On the way out to walk the aforementioned hounds I was contacted by 5 Live and asked to go on their “Your Call” phone-in, or SpekE youRe BraneS as I often call it.
The best they could come up with by way of support for PCT was a Leeds based, non-legal aid lawyer who seemed wholly unaware of standard fees. I paraphrase but “we as a profession have brought this on ourselves by prolonging trials to make more money” is hardly the killer, closing argument Grayling might have hoped for. Even the Taxpayers Alliance thought the plans, especially re quality and client choice, needed rewriting.
I managed to get the “never met a fat-cat lawyer in 17 years” line in and tried to explain to someone that LA hourly rates were £49.70 and not £300, he clearly did not believe me. “You can prove anything with facts”. There were some fantastic contributions from Lawyers, a Magistrate and even a client for whom successful mitigation resulted in life changing probation.
As none of us at JRS can be in London for the demo and big meeting I hope that this represents an acceptable contribution to today’s efforts. (I was on “The Chain” on Radcliffe & Maconie’s 6 Music show last week and got it mentioned there too. Radio 4 is a bridge too far however I think).
It came as a complete, but very welcome, shock to subsequently receive personally tweeted thanks from 5 Live presenter Nicky Campbell – surely he has Wheel of Fortune to present after his radio duties? Seriously however what a nice touch. It was somewhat bizarre however to then get trapped in a conversation in which someone repeatedly accused Mr C of having potato for BraNes – still a bit of an Twitter innocent I am.
To the office for the first time in a fortnight to do a couple of jobs and to collect my “Save UK Justice” tee shirt – which is a “sung” fit.
After all the fun of the fair it is now back to a Prison Law appeal, 15 seconds of “fame” over
Can I have your autograph?? Just missed you as I had a train to catch to the big city. Don’t think I will be using Mr Wilson as my solicitor though! Keep up the good work…