Striking lawyers don’t tend to evoke much public sympathy |
Lawyers are not particularly disliked by the public – journalists and politicians score lowest in popularity polls. But criminals are more unpopular than them all, so when the legal profession strikes over fees for criminal defence work, public sympathy is practically non-existent.
The public is also largely unmoved by the impact of strikes on the courts. Most people never have any direct dealings with the criminal justice system and cannot relate to the agony of a delayed trial for victims and witnesses.
Justice ministers at Stormont have benefited from this indifference in several lengthy disputes, most recently in the first six months of this year. Irish governments seem less willing to face the profession down. As so often, North and south appear oblivious to pertinent developments either side of the Border.
Justice was devolved to Stormont in 2010 under a deal that requires the minister to be appointed by a cross-community assembly vote. That means the post has almost always been held by Alliance; the only exception was a 10-month period in 2016 when it was held by an independent unionist.
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