In her Opinion piece (We will all suffer in Goves war on Europe’s judges,9 November), Zoe Williams writes: “Justice and costs cannot be pitted against one another: justice must be considered on its own terms and cost must be borne by the state that wishes to call itself just.”But we have no more upright to the best possible justice regardless of cost than we have to the best possible healthcare regardless of cost. Resource limitation is an integral part of any public service and cost considerations must necessarily influence what can be provided. The debate around legal aid focuses on denial of justice to the poor, or ignoring the fact that the huge majority of taxpayers are deterred from seeking court redress because the cost is unpredictable and can be out of all proportion to the value of the dispute. To bring or defend a claim over £10000,one must risk the roof over one’s head. It is therefore valid to question why taxpayers should fund justice for the poor when it is beyond the reach of most.
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Source: theguardian.com