YOUR correspondent Dave Matthewman suggests (Letters, April 23) that the recent pistol ruling shows the stupidity of our ‘judicial’ system. Not so.

Judges have to apply the law as enacted by parliament. Much of the legislative incoherence from which we suffer is attributable not to ‘the law’ as such (as an abstract entity) but to the shortcomings in our political system.

Judges, and lawyers generally, are in a good position to see where the shoe pinches for they have to deal at first hand with the problems that arise in practice.

They protest but often our politicians seem deaf to their entreaties as law reform is rarely a vote winner. When it is, the resulting ‘reform’ is often based not on knowledge or understanding but mere populism.

Politicians, always chasing votes, feel they have to react to media pressure which they often confuse with “public opinion”, but as the late Lord Dahrendorf observed some years ago, much so-called “public opinion” is merely published opinion, adding to the feeling among politicians that they must be seen “to be doing something”.

What they then proceed to do is not infrequently driven by short-termism and perceived party political advantage, often with incoherent results. Unfortunately reforming the political process will be a far greater task than reforming the law, but unless it can be achieved we shall continue to be burdened with incoherence.

Tony Lawton, Skelton, York.