MORE BLACK JUDGES, DEMANDS LAMMY.

David Lammy, Labour Member of Parliament for Tottenham, is unhappy that the current list of judges doesn't adequately reflect the social mix of our society. In particular, Mr Lammy wants there to be more black and ethnic minority judges, at least partly because there is a higher proportion of people from those backgrounds who end up being caught carrying out criminal activities. Effectively, he wants there to be quotas, which he dresses up as targets, but they are quotas, nonetheless. One wonders where such an approach might lead.

I don't know any numbers but I suspect that there is a substantially higher proportion of people from what might be considered the 'lower' social classes involved in criminal activities than from the 'middle' and 'upper' classes'. I'd also suspect that there are more criminals amongst those who were educated at comprehensive schools or who hail from one-parent families than from those who attended grammar or public schools or who come from more traditional family backgrounds. Might there be more criminals born in cities than in rural areas, or fewer criminals amongst those who attended university than amongst those who did not ?

While Mr Lammy's wish to have more judges from black and ethnic minority backgrounds might sound reasonable, it's logical extension would be to attempt to appoint judges on the basis of their ethnic and social backgrounds rather than on the basis of their ability to be judges. We could end up with judges being appointed because they are from poor and illiterate backgrounds, in order to reflect the lives of those brought up before them; what nonsense.

In any sane society, judges should only be appointed on the basis of their knowledge and ability to do the job; the only way for there to be more black and ethnic minority judges on the bench is for them to get there on ability. Of course, there should be a fair appointment process which ensures that no one is excluded purely due to their background, but that is a slightly different matter.

Mr Lammy might also consider the extent to which he and his fellow Members of Parliament accurately reflect the social mix of our population. He who lives in a glass house .......................  .