to answer the rhetorical question from above:

"
Is it being suggested that the effort should not be made to ensure that any judgemenet is as fair as we can manage?"

No, indeed...if you add "as fair as we can manage practically". It is possible to define, rationalize, quibble, nit-pick, amend and otherwise analyze until nothing gets DONE. This is not usually the case for 'level playing fields', as instruments will tell you when a field is level.....but in matters of 'fairness', there are always subjective opinions about that never agree that a judgement is 'fair' until it agrees with certain pre-ordained conclusions.