The enthusiasm of members was such that they greeted ministers promising very little with giddy excitement. Shadow justice minister Alex Cunningham even got a round of applause when he told one lawyer-populated drinks event there is no new money on offer. Queues tailed out of fringe meetings on the most mundane of subjects and the battle for a seat (as in chair, not parliamentary constituency) was intense.

Shadow attorney general Emily Thornberry and shadow justice secretary Shabana Mahmood left one justice meeting early and no one seemed to mind, even if most hands raised to ask a question were dropped when they ducked out. The one unlucky person still picked on by the chair lamented that there was not much point asking the question when there were no politicians present to answer it.

There was even a packed house for a fringe event scheduled after a free drinks party had started elsewhere, hosted by the Society of Labour Lawyers. When people are turning down a complimentary noggin to hear about the ailing justice system, you know you are down to the real hard core.

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