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Woolf or Jackson for Lord Chancellor!!

They have proven that they can be tasked with a job and see it through irrespective how unpopular it makes/made them.

Whilst you may not agree with their various reforms, they have both been undeniably successful in achieving their outcomes (widening access to justice and codifying rules, and reducing uncertainty of costs by fixing them on a tariff basis).

If they were tasked with righting the wrongs with the current justice system, top to bottom I have no doubt that they would make a damn good go of it.

They would not hesitate to state publicly where desired outcomes could not be achieved due to lack of ministerial willingness to spend the necessary money.

As for having respect of the Ministers, they would either demand it by dint of their reputation or wouldn't give a toss if they received it and would plow on anyway!

I think it is time to move to a system of life-time appointments for the senior judiciary and the role of Lord Chancellor (who should be appointed from the Judiciary and not be a Politician); akin to the American system.

Whilst political appointments and often highly contentious, knowing that they hold those senior posts for life permits them an amount of security of conviction that allows for decisions to be made that may upset the government of the day.

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