Wondering what effect this kind of inconsistency has on (plugged-in) people. In our everyday relationships inconsistency can be more psychologically debilitating even than consistent disappointment or disagreeability. Also thinking of the way carmakers all tooled up their strategies to go all-in on BEV, only to find suddenly that they didn't actually need to at anything like the speed originally expected. Being exposed like this to whim, rather than consistent principle, gives everything a kind of fluid quality in which we never quite know where we stand; the rules-based order giving way to a whims-based order. History probably tells us where this leads, for those governed by monarchs and emperors.
More than anything, the following sort of thinking is necessary across the board. In an age when the word "transparent" gets tossed about, one would hope it came with a concomitant consciousness.
"we can probably all concur with Frank that, if judges are indeed going to promote certain values in their judgements and the way they apply the rules, they should be open about doing so. (Aside from anything else, this then makes space for democratic discussion and political accountability.)"
Wondering what effect this kind of inconsistency has on (plugged-in) people. In our everyday relationships inconsistency can be more psychologically debilitating even than consistent disappointment or disagreeability. Also thinking of the way carmakers all tooled up their strategies to go all-in on BEV, only to find suddenly that they didn't actually need to at anything like the speed originally expected. Being exposed like this to whim, rather than consistent principle, gives everything a kind of fluid quality in which we never quite know where we stand; the rules-based order giving way to a whims-based order. History probably tells us where this leads, for those governed by monarchs and emperors.
This is a very important observation and something my next post will speak to.
Excellent, and horrible. One small quibble - it’s “toe the line” not “tow”.
More than anything, the following sort of thinking is necessary across the board. In an age when the word "transparent" gets tossed about, one would hope it came with a concomitant consciousness.
"we can probably all concur with Frank that, if judges are indeed going to promote certain values in their judgements and the way they apply the rules, they should be open about doing so. (Aside from anything else, this then makes space for democratic discussion and political accountability.)"
Lord Sumption saw all the lockdown excesses of the executive very clearly, presumably because he hadn't swallowed the covid propaganda for breakfast.