After a week of eating antibiotics, battling with overstretched doctors, and the usual activities of a working day, it is time to write about the world as I viewed it this week…
John “One Jag” Prescott, composed again after flicking ‘V’ signs at tabloid photographers who caught him driving his own Jaguar, is now available for hire at £10-25k as a speaker. His agent, according to Hugo Rifkind in the Times, made it very clear that Prescott will not be punching anyone or doing end of the pier routines. This is a fairly significant departure from his days in government.
But it is not just Prescott who has the ability to use the English language in unusual ways. Outraged of Mayfair types have been writing in to complain about Paxo’s pronunciation on University Challenge. I did read an account only yesterday that Paxo did not pronounce one of the periodic elements correctly.
This did not trouble me greatly… but when I discovered, from The Times today, that he could not pronounce the name of the noble family Medici properly I was concerned.
Well.. actually, I didn’t become concerned… but I do remember being taken to task by a very good friend of mine, now a leading family silk, for pronouncing ‘respite’ as many do. He told me that it should be pronounced ‘respit’. He was correct. Now when I use ‘respite’ in conversation, pronouncing it as ‘respit’, people have no idea what I am talking about. For example: I worked without ‘respit’. [“You what?”… as friends say to me down at The Bollo]
Onwards and upwards through the English language to the great Bard himself. Apparently, Brian, winner of Big Brother, who did not know who Shakespeare was, but thought ‘Romeo’ may have some connection with the So Solid Crew, has been hired by bookselers, Border, to do a series of podcasts: ‘Shakespeare made Simple’. I’m sure he will do a good job, with a bit of cider inside him, in bringing Shakespeare to a wider audience. I am surpised that WebCameron has not enlisted Brian to assist with his new idea of ‘National service’ for 16 year olds.
And now… to the question of nomenclature: Alex Salmond, Saviour and First Minister of Scotland, has decided to rename ‘The Scottish Executive’ as the ‘Scottish Government’. He has also dispensed with the Royal Coat of Arms on official documents and brochures; replacing it with a Saltire. (Moreover… he has achieved all of this for a mere £100,000… the thrifty Scot.)
The ‘Hammering Scot’, Gordon Brown, Prime Minister of The United Kingdom of Great Britain, is not at all happy, has refused to recognise the name change, and has instructed civil servants to continue to use ‘Scottish Executive’. The BBC and other television companies appear to be using ‘Scottish Government’.
Victorian Maiden, running riot while Ruthie of Ruthie’s Law is on holiday, is ‘much exercised’ (with a modest attack of the vapours) by the acquittal of Jeremy Clarkson of Top Gear on a speeding charge. Clarkson got off this charge on the basis that, while he had borrowed the Alfa Romeo involved from Alfa Romeo, he did not know who the driver was on the occasion of the speeding incident. I often had no idea who was driving my various cars over the years, lent liberally to friends, and I find it entirely plausible that Clarkson did not know who was driving the vehicle at the time of the offence charged. In any event I am not entirely sure that one should be under a duty to report friends for criminal offences of a minor nature when no injury to others arises.
Victorian Maiden raises the spectre of duty: “The suggestion that Jem should have sneaked on the person who was driving the car is equally preposterous. Why should he name a criminal? Obviously it is not a question of the right to silence because Jem was not guilty. It is a question of the public-school code.”
An interesting hypothetical question: What would you do (as a lawyer, law student or potential client of lawyers) if you witnessed a close friend, perhaps even a very senior member of the bar, or a senior partner in a major law firm, consuming drugs, carrying a 9mm pistol in a holster, driving while drunk, speeding, or using a Windsor knot for his tie?
I have only this to say in answer to my own hypothetical question and, naturally, reserving a view on the other matters, I would probably have to report the Windsor knot tie wearer. There are limits.
Geeklawyer is ‘horribly distraught’ to discover that the tie knot he invented appears to have been invented before… delightfully ironic given his undoubted and very real skill with intellectual property law – quite apparent from his blog.
Because I am not working for the Chinese government, alleged to be cyber-hacking into Britain’s secrets and those of the United States, I have absolutely no idea whether Russia plans to invade or bomb Britain, or do other nefarious activities in our air space, by flying their Tupolev bombers, capable of carrying nuclear weapons, near to European, British and United States airspace. The RAF, it is reported, ‘scrambled’ four Tornados to head off an armada of Eight Russian bombers yesterday (at a reported cost of £40,000 per aircraft flying hour. The Russian bombers turned back from British airspace; The Sun taking great pleasure in this act of defiance on our part. Presumably, we patrol our skies and further afield to train our pilots?
I have been keeping a close watch on the Russians for several weeks now, late at night, by using Google maps. I like to do my bit. The Kremlin website is, to say the least, a bit odd.
I am also keeping a very close watch on the French. God knows what they will do if they win the World Cup Rugby as well as the football World Cup. Les Insufferables? (Did the French lose the football World Cup last year? …. I can’t recall. I do remember their captain, Zidane, doing a bit of head butting.) Thank ‘Dieu’ they do not play Le Cricket…
And finally… the curious case of an Alabama judge being ‘disciplined’ for spanking jailed prisoners in his private office. Bizarre.
Off to watch a bit of Rugby… until we meet again…. don’t know where, don’t know when… but I am sure…..
“An interesting hypothetical question: What would you do (as a lawyer, law student or potential client of lawyers) if you witnessed a close friend, perhaps even a very senior member of the bar, or a senior partner in a major law firm, consuming drugs, carrying a 9mm pistol in a holster, driving while drunk, speeding, …”
I’d ponder which were illegal and which were unlawful. The illegal ones being obvious; the unlawful ones not so. I may do something about the unlawful ones, as for the illegal ones …
One would report the pistol carrier because that is dangerous. Taking away the keys of the drunk or otherwise preventing him/her driving would be a good idea. Those consuming drugs should be allowed to chose their own road to hell. Obviously if any of the above were a solicitor, one would ring the police.
The windsor knot wearer would have to be the subject of a hit. Public penalties are not severe enough and I would call Judge Dred.
None of the above are equivalent to darling Jem. He very properly refused to sneak on a pal when the alternative culprit was him. ‘Tis the spirit that acquired the Empire.
2 points (i) I had the misfortune of hearing Brian on Radio 1 (as I worried whether re-tuning my car stereo might result in a charge of careless driving). Splendid man that he probably is, I found it astonishing that the British Public should wish to gift him £100,000. Words like “rinsing”(?) were entirely lost on me – ultimately the BBC telephoned a translator (a teacher from Essex) who purported to make sense of his “conversation.”
(ii) The offensive thing about Clarkson’s acquittal is the fact that it was secured by Nick Freeman (and on that point I’ll say no more ….)
2 points (i) I had the misfortune of hearing Brian on Radio 1 (as I worried whether re-tuning my car stereo might result in a charge of careless driving). Splendid man that he probably is, I found it astonishing that the British Public should wish to gift him £100,000. Words like “rinsing”(?) were entirely lost on me – ultimately the BBC telephoned a translator (a teacher from Essex) who purported to make sense of his “conversation.”
(ii) The offensive thing about Clarkson’s acquittal is the fact that it was secured by Nick Freeman (and on that point I’ll say no more ….)
VM… a subtle response… and… without even mentioning ‘positivism, Scandinavian Realists or any other writers on the theory of law / jurisprudence…. you capture the essence of the question.
I am, of course, not entirely surprised given your astonishing output on Ruthie’s Law and your very clear grasp of our legal system in the 21st century.
In the alternative… it may be that Tucker has been reading ‘Concept of Law’ by HLA Hartley while he is fishing with his flies for your bit of trout and has been assisting with matters legal.
The rugby has started… I must … arise and go now… Windsor Knot… I ask you! Astonishing.
VM’s response was ghastly. Would Charon be happy with a discussion of such, or would he find it all too tiresome?
Fire away…. VM is more than able to cope 🙂
But… be it on your own head! Remember what VM does to Tucker….
Darling Charon,
The writers you list are not mentioned because I rather found better things to do during my Jurisprudence lectures than attend them. However I found the Concept of Law to be a most useful book when my door needed to be kept open. Alas my result tended to support the theory that lectures and supervisions helped.
What is Zeph? Zephaniah is a very minor prophet whose name means ‘God of Darkness’. How apt.
As a Southern Hemispherite I am thrilled to bits that the Argies beat the bejasus out of France yesterday. And it was a well deserved win as they were on top of things from the get-go, unlike the frogs who were sluggish in the extreme……..just my tuppenceworth, what the flandoodle do I know about rugby apart from growing up in SA? I’m so thrilled that even I might have a glass of Rioja.
VM… After a good result in the Cricket (England managed to win)…and we defeated the United States at Rugby (I did not know the USA played Rugby) and – I was told by a very pissed bloke in an Ingerland shirt who lurched along the road as I walked back to my Staterooms tonight – that Ingerland managed to beat Israel 3-0 in the footer.
It is unusual for our (English) national teams (in the main sports) to win at all these days, given the injury rate etc etc etc, let alone ALL WIN on the very same day.
Yes…on the matter of using HLA Hart’s seminal book on the theory of law to keep your door open: I am not entirely sure that academics rummaging around Papua New Guinea (or any other obscure) rain forests, troubling people who have not studied English Law, and who get by perfectly satisfactorily with their own system of ‘justice’, or those who feel the need to be ‘utilitarian’ and then arrange for their dead body to be stuffed, are that useful in terms of the majesty of our laws and legal system in September 2007.
Thank God (however defined, if at all) we now have the Ministry of Justice to watch over us.
PS.. do you think that the Parole Board should be independent and be hived off to The Court Service.. per the latest interference in our 1000 year democracy / heritage / history / jingoism etc etc… by the Judiciary?
It seems, that we as a country, are about to have a truly independent judiciary (hopefully with a reasonable budget) and may well have a very useful service – and independent Parole Board – to relieve prison overcrowding.
Of course, you must understand VM, I know absolutely nothing at all about criminal law or the process of criminal justice (apart from a speeding fine or two in my yoof – before SAGA and other services catering for old gits got hold of my details).
I may well have missed the point about this latest development entirely. It matters not. Today… we won a cricket match… and all is good in Charon’s world this day.
I thirst for knowledge, however. Please advise.
Tomorrow… I do not need to march against the French. Argentina did a pretty good job last night.
Herschelian… I was posting on another matter as you posted your comment. Yes… a good result for the Argentines…
Although England managed to defeat a USA team at Rugby this afternoon… The Springboks may prove to be rather more difficult…
Have a glass of Rioja. It will do you good. In fact, I may well have a glass myself… It is a bit of a dry do here as I try to respond to comments on my blog 🙂