Has no one in our corridors of power ever come across the expression ‘penny wise, pound foolish’? One example to reach Obiter’s ears is the latest squeeze on judicial expenses – in this case, the allowance for textbooks. The thinking, it seems, is that dead-tree tomes are an anachronism when their content can be called up through online subscriptions.
That may be fine for the rarefied caseload of the Rolls Building. But back in the real world, district judges sitting in the widest jurisdiction of any judicial appointment need up-to-date information on a broad range of topics constantly to hand. Without the latest hard-copy editions, the choice is either to adjourn to look up a point, or, in extremis, to borrow one of the parties’ materials.
How much time is being wasted – and unnecessary costs piled on – through this kind of penny-pinching? Obiter would love to know of examples.
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