LONDON -- An independent judiciary has long been taken for granted in Britain. It has been regarded down the ages as one of the majestic bastions of British liberties and a necessary pillar of the free democratic state.
The difficult and delicate issue for the learned judges was always how to be independent without being too separate and remote; how to reject all political interference in administering the law, but take proper account of public feelings, customs and attitudes.
Until recently this complex balancing act seemed to work rather well, and even more important, it seemed to endure. The law was respected and people felt it was fairly administered -- at least so far as Britain was concerned.