Halo or Horns

Extract from the 2017 Lawbook's Preface:

"But no praise is too high for the Secretary, Laurie Kelso, who did all the
collating and clerical work, most of the drafting, and devoted countless
hours of his time. Without him the job would never have been finished."

In a previous life I worked for the Recruitment Section of the Australian
Department of Immigration and Citizenship (now less invitingly remodelled
into Immigration and Border Protection, with quasi-military uniforms for
some staff). In recruitment I learnt about the Halo or Horns effect.

After a recruitment panel has interviewed a particularly competent
candidate, then the Halo effect means that the panel underestimates the
merits of the next candidate. Likewise, after a recruitment panel has
interviewed a pointy-haired candidate (see the satirical comic strip
Dilbert), then the Horns effect means that the panel overestimates the
merits of the next candidate.

During the half-decade process of creating the 2017 Lawbook, zillions of
suggestions were received by Laurie Kelso. To prevent Halo or Horns, Laurie
replaced the names of suggestors with code numbers. Prolific suggestors
(such as myself) were given more than one code number. To prevent the prior
WBF LC Official Interpretations gaining a Halo, they too were given a code
number.

Now that the drafting of the 2017 Lawbook has been finalised, Laurie has
promised to reveal the names behind the code numbers to other members of
the 2017 Drafting Committee. This will embarrass one clever but slightly
forgetful committee member, who will discover that in committee debate he
argued against one of his own suggestions. :-) :-)

Best wishes,

Richard Hills

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