Bye bye Derry

[liadnan]

Irvine's gone, Irvine's gone, Irvine's gone...
(And so, pretty much, has the job).
Hoo bloody rah. About time too.

Comments

[liadnan]

Lord Irvine was the Lord Chancellor. That politically appointed job, the most senior in the British consitution, had evolved over the centuries (the early holders like Wolsey and More were really the prime ministers of their day) to be in practice (1) seniormost judge and head of the judiciary (2) government minister for the legal system and (3) speaker of the Lords. Obviously an untenable situation but no one was prepared to do anything about it (Irvine, who was an unpleasant shit, expressly said he thought it was fine).
At the moment, there is a new Lord Chancellor, Charlie Falconer, but he won't be ewxercising the non-political bits of the job, pending it being sorted out by legislation.