To the Dali Universe exhibition at County Hall in London, somewhat pass now as a venue for legal events perhaps, but surely an appropriate location for the Legal Services Commission to launch its report on legal need.

Some would say that aspects of the legal aid bureaucracy are beyond the imagination of even the great surrealist, and this impression was enforced by the speech from minister David Lammy, who indicated that there would be no extra money in the legal aid fund, yet there were plans to improve services in line with the needs identified in the report.

One observer muttered to Obiter: 'Is this a ministerial pronouncement or a piece of surrealist performance art?' He ended up not being sure whether there was much of a difference.

Strolling through the gallery, one saw several Dali quotes on the walls, including: 'To be a real Dalinian, one must first be a real masochist.' No prizes for guessing that the legal aid lawyers there felt they were already well qualified.