This weekend’s quiz questions. The Work of the House of Lords 2007-08 can be read here. On page 31, there is a picture of a judicial sitting of the House.
1. Who is the law lord presiding on the woolsack?
2. Who is the law lord delivering the judgement?
A commendation to any reader who can identify either and full marks to the first person to identify both.
Is it Lord Bingham of Cornhill on the woolsack?
Peer 1: Lord Bingham of Cornhill
Peer 2: Lord Mance?
Can I change my answer? Lord Hope of Craighead on the woolsack, so it could be a more recent picture. Still no idea about the second. Someone with a fairly good head of hair and doesn’t wear glasses to read. Should narrow it down a bit, but still drew a blank. I don’t think it’s Lord Irvine of Lairg, who can sit as a Lord of Appeal.
Bingham of Cornhill & Hoffmann?
1. Lord Hope of Craighead
2. Lord Mance
If it helps, it is a fairly recent picture. Lord Bingham of Cornhill has ceased to be the senior law lord and hence is not in the picture. However, his successor, Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, is not in the picture either.
A commendation to Jonathan (second time round) for Lord Hope of Craighead. A commendation to Rob for getting (or rather, given his question mark, guessing) Lord Mance. The prize winner is Ulysses who listed both correctly.
Lord Hope of Craighead, the second most senior law lord, is on the Woolsack. He has been a law lord since 1996. Lord Mance is delivering the opinion of the appellate committee. He has been a law lord since 2005.
The picture isn’t too clear on my computer (it could easily be Lord Bingham or Lord Hope) – but there’s a version of what appears to be the same picture at http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/HofLBpJudicial.pdf. The resolution allows more facial detail and so I would say that it’s Lord Hope of Craighead on the Woolsack.
While the law lord delivering his opinion certainly has something of the look of a younger Lord Hoffmann, I would suggest that it is Lord Mance.
Posts crossed in the ether!