Jury Service

[SizeZero]

Write a letter, asking to delay your DUTY until a later date, as you have just started your own Ltd Company and are stuggling to get it off the ground and don't want to disappear on your client - loss of a contract, detriment to future business, etc - but are very happy to do it after <date contract ends>. They are usually reasonable.

Use this time to put aside money - begin your warchest, and don't just pay lipservice to it with £50 here and £100 there, whenever you have some spare. If this is just your first financial 'blip' then take it as a warning because your contract could end tomorrow and then you would truely know desparation, if you have nothing to pay your bills next week.

[DiscoStu]

There is no contradiction.

Let's say I have got 100 blue balls in sack and I pick random 10 blue balls. They are blue (colour property) but also random (method of choosing).

I think you only have 2 blue balls

[AtW]

I think you only have 2 blue balls

That's the right number (though not the colour) and that's 2 more than you have mate

[centurian]

Well, I think there are some checks ie no criminal convictions, of course you can't be 100% sure everyone is good decent person, but if majority is then selecting 12 of them would be enough.

Yes, you have to be a citizen of "good standing"...

But as I pointed out earlier, the definition of "good" is that you haven't been proven as being "bad".

But if you do get a bunch of scroats on the jury, are they more or less likely to convict. I would have thought they would take greater delight in embarrassing the police/court system by setting the defendent free.

So if anything the removal of criminals from the jury pool is probably of the detriment to defendents.

[AtW]

But as I pointed out earlier, the definition of "good" is that you haven't been proven as being "bad".

You would like it to be different? In Soviet "justice system" defendants had to prove that they were not guilty rather than otherwise. Bolsheviks removed trial by jury pretty much as soon as they came to power - it's much easier to get controlled judges to do all this dirty work: the whole point of picking up fairly randomly people from same area is to ensure that judges and prosecutors are kept in check, it's a critical element of a fair justice system.

[WetBehindTheEars]

Thanks to those who have given constructive advice and support.

Those who wish to lecture and take the moral high ground clearly don’t appreciate how detrimental this could be.

I haven’t been contracting for very long and, whether I am financially irresponsible or not (that isn't a crime as far as I know), this will hit me very hard. Loss of earnings is one thing but loss of contract is an even bigger worry – I doubt my client would take kindly to this and I strongly suspect they would just get someone else in and ask me not to bother coming back (the PM is a bit of an Alan Sugar wannabe - you're fired). That would leave me on the bench, struggling to pay the bills and put food on the table.

Does it really matter whether I earn £100 per day or whether I am a multi millionaire, why should the hard working man in the street be financially penalised and have his business ruined in the name of public duty.

The best quote I have seen so far is .... “would you want to be
judged by 12 people too stupid to avoid jury service?"

[AtW]

whether I am financially irresponsible or not (that isn't a crime as far as I know)

And pity that it isn't - if it was maybe the world economy would not be in current mess.

Does it really matter whether I earn £100 per day or whether I am a multi millionaire, why should the hard working man in the street be financially penalised and have his business ruined in the name of public duty.

If your business is ruined by 10 days abscense than it is a very poorly run business - you should PLAN AHEAD for such eventuality, if you earn far more than average than you have more chances to do so than anyone else.

I don't really wish you to be charged in connection with any crime serious enough to require jury service, but for your own sake I hope that if you do, then those jurors who would come forward won't be people with your kind of thinking.

[WetBehindTheEars]

Why on earth would I be charged with a serious crime?

AtW - why don't you pay me my loss of earnings and step in and do my work (right of substitution) and I'll go and do my public duty.

You don't understand my situation - how can you judge me (pun intended).

[zara_backdog]

Hopefully, if you do get picked it will only be for a day or two.

[AtW]

Why on earth would I be charged with a serious crime?

Mistaken identity for example, or just being in wrong place at wrong time - you'd be ****ing praying that jurors are not looking at their watches to pronounce you guilty so that they would go back home earlier to make more money while you wait for 15-20 years in prison for new evidence to come out and clear you, how would you like that to happen to you or your relative or someone you know? I certainly won't so if I happen to be selected for jury service I'd do that without whining.

AtW - why don't you pay me my loss of earnings and step in and do my work (right of substitution) and I'll go and do my public duty.

What's your skills? If they match my skillset and experience I may consider taking over your job for the duration of your jurors service. I'll obviously keep the money but at least your contract will be safe. No wait - if you have the same work ethics as you display towards important public service then you might not get your job back.