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Although the SRA is "operationally independent" of the Law Society (whatever that may mean), the SRA is still subject to some control of the Law Society - hence the requests from the LSB for even more separation between the two bodies.

Surely this would be an exceptional case that justifies the Law Society exercising whatever residuary clout they may have?

Looking at sections 28-30 Legal Services Act 2007, and the Legal Services Board Internal Governance Rules 2009 (version 3 of 30th April 2014), the only requirements are that the Law Society does not exert *undue* influence or control over the SRA's *regulatory* functions or persons exercising those functions.

Pissing millions of quids worth of our money down the drain because people who read the S*n newspaper say "support are trooops init" and therefore don't like Leigh Day, and because the Government and by proxy the MOD thought it would kill two birds with one stone by rabble rousing support from said readers AND kill off an unwelcome opponent is a disgrace.

Add to that the long stream of stories of the SRA intervening into High Street firms because one of the partners took some paperclips home with him; but ignoring medium and large firms going into "pre-pack" insolvency, screwing over unsecured creditors, and buying and selling each other's "files" as if they are commodities to be traded.

Add to that the even longer stream of stories of the SRA prosecuting solicitors before the tribunal for petty transgressions of their impenetrable morass of regulations, and either striking lucky and getting a strike-off and a £75,000 costs order or getting unlucky when the SDT have the audacity to only fine the solicitor £3,000 (but still getting a £65,000 costs order in that case).

Is this not time for the Law Society (of which in law the SRA is merely a division) to step in, hold an enquiry, sack the lot of them and instigate a proper root and branch reform? Bearing in mind the above, it could not be said that such a course of action was "undue" - in fact it is overdue! Likewise it would not impinge on the Regulatory functions and therefore it within the purview of the Law Society, taking into account the statute and the Rules relating to separation of functions.

Of course that's about as likely to happen as Jean-Claude Junker buying every member of UKIP a pair of breeding Unicorns, but something surely needs to be done.