Between 5th-8th December, 2016 there has been live coverage of the Supreme Court sitting with its full panel of 11 judges hearing the appeal in respect of whether the UK can exit the EU under prerogative power rather than by an Act of Parliament. In fact, cases routinely can be viewed live by the following link: https://www.supremecourt.uk/live/court-01.html
The ability of the general public to view these proceedings in particular, is a triumph of open Justice and I hope will lessen the inaccurate media coverage that has surrounded this controversial topic.
On my analysis of the various arguments and the mood of the hearing, I am predicting that the Government’s appeal will be defeated! Given the legal & administrative costs involved & that will ultimately come from public funds- running to £millions– it is a shame that such monies could not have been better spent on the NHS say.
What I found comforting is that no matter how high the Court or senior the lawyer, Court bundles are always a nightmare and the slightest pagination variation can cause all sorts of problems. In addition, feeling interrogated by a panel of intelligent judges is an experience that befalls all lawyers inhabiting the higher levels of Court. It was nice to see judges like Lord Sumption or Lord Hodge (who have sat in Jersey in our Court of Appeal) displaying their intellect.
In the face of some poor media coverage, well done to The Supreme Court and those administrative staff that keep the live link working.