Keynote Speech at the Commonwealth Magistrates' and Judges' Association Conference 2010

The Lord Chief Justice's keynote speech at the Commonwealth Magistrates' and Judges' Association Conference 2010 covering issues facing judges in every country.

"Large or small, the issues for judges and magistrates in every country are identical.

Each of our jurisdictions is where it is today as a result of its history. And all our histories are different, whether we come from Britain or Barbados or the Bahamas, or for that matter from Malta or Malawi. So the communities which we serve as judges are different. We have arrived where we are because of where we have come from. Our constitutional arrangements, secured by commitment to democracy, are different. The democratic processes by which our governments are elected varies. The political arrangements are different. And even in the same country, they vary."