J.A.G Griffith is dead

by Chris Bertram on May 21, 2010

The Times has an “obituary for J.A.G. Griffith”:http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article7130873.ece , whose _The Politics of the Judiciary_ was required reading for a whole generation of students of politics and law. A sad loss, and especially at a time when there are renewed signs of judicial activism against the trade union movement in the UK.

{ 6 comments }

1

deliasmith 05.21.10 at 3:25 pm

The account in the obituary of his election as Chancellor of Manchester University is correct. I am very proud to say that I was one of the ten who nominated him to stand against the Marchioness of Anglesey. (A. J. P. Taylor pointed out a long time ago that Manchester University was diminished by its attempts to ape its Oxbridge betters: the decision by the university administration to replace a Duke by a Marchioness was dreadfully revealing.)

2

ptl 05.21.10 at 4:20 pm

CAFAD was important and he served its cause well.

3

Myles SG 05.21.10 at 11:58 pm

“(A. J. P. Taylor pointed out a long time ago that Manchester University was diminished by its attempts to ape its Oxbridge betters: the decision by the university administration to replace a Duke by a Marchioness was dreadfully revealing.)”

Copying Oxbridge (or even St Andrews or LSE or Imperial) seemed like a geographical impossibility. There simply weren’t the requisite sediment of upper-middle-class population traditionally attending Manchester to make it possible.

4

John Quiggin 05.22.10 at 12:51 am

Thanks for this. Griffith’s fame didn’t reach Australia, whereas my leftish lawyer friends in the 70s were all huge fans of Lord Denning, who seems like a mirror image, particularly as regards anti-union judicial activism.

5

Deliasmith 05.22.10 at 12:59 pm

Copying Oxbridge (or even St Andrews or LSE or Imperial) seemed like a geographical impossibility. There simply weren’t the requisite sediment of upper-middle-class population traditionally attending Manchester to make it possible.

Didn’t / doesn’t stop them trying.

6

ejh 05.22.10 at 2:01 pm

The Politics Of The Judiciary was a fantastic book.

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