adversarial

"The current system is actually very adversarial. Our parents are increasingly tired and anxious and fed up of fighting… Staff sickness levels are really, really high at the moment," she says.

The inquests, originally listed for six months, had ended up lasting for two years - in part because they became so adversarial.

Ohio, for example, is considering a ban against "adversarial countries", but with stricter scope that could include green card holders as well.

Despite its adversarial tone, the letter was hardly unwelcome.

“It is disheartening, unfortunate, but perhaps not surprising that the board has chosen an adversarial course that the facts so clearly cannot support,” he said in a statement.