Robertson rarely goes out for lunch ("I might smash an avocado occasionally"). The one exception is when he works in Strasbourg, "which has some of the best restaurants in the world". Cases are heard early under the continental justice system, which means they finish by 2pm, at which point he heads straight for dining heaven.
He has come straight here from the Port Fairy Folk Festival, where he spoke about "when folk music changed the world". In addition to more obvious candidates such as We Shall Overcome and Dylan's Blowin' In The Wind, he ended his talk by wondering if there could be a folk revival and promptly played Tim Minchin's Come Home Cardinal Pell.
Belief in the power of those songs is not the result of poetic nostalgia. He last encountered We Shall Overcome as a protest song in Czechoslovakia, when he defended the Czech Jazz Society against the Stalinists in the 1980s. The case was won, he and then-dissident (later president) Vaclav Havel ventured out onto the balcony where thousands of Czechs were waiting. They were met by a ragged chorus of We Shall Overcome.
Despite his Catholic musical tastes, Robertson can't stand jazz. "[I'm] always waiting for a tune and it never comes." That said, he has often defended people for "playing, singing, speaking in ways that a regime has disliked and it's important to continue that".
Geoffrey Robertson, QC, on the day he took silk in October 1991.
Photo: Fairfax MediaHe's lived in London for several decades, but has dual citizenship and considers himself an Aussie. A self-confessed workaholic, Robertson comes back at least once a year and is about to tour the country to promote his latest book, Rather His Own
