Following a string of high profile allegations of historical sexual abuse, which occurred during the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s the government set up a Panel to investigate the extent, if any, to which the ‘rich and powerful’ had been able to cover up their crimes. Unfortunately, it seems that although everyone knows that the basic ingredient for any wide-ranging public inquiry is public confidence, no one thought to tell the Government that! Both senior figures who have been appointed to lead the inquiry have resigned amid the controversy of possible conflict of interest. The first, a former Judge of the Supreme Court resigned because her brother was Attorney General during much of the relevant period. How did no one spot this, before her appointment? The words ‘Attorney General’ and ‘possible cover up criminal activity’ do not look good in the same sentence. How did no one realise this? The second, a leading tax lawyer, was socially linked with a former Home Secretary of some of the period. There is no suggestion that the head of this inquiry cannot be a friend of a former Home Secretary, but surely not if that same person is alleged to have failed to act on a dossier which revealed paedophilia by public figures? How did nobody spot this, before her appointment? Public confidence is hard to win, but easily lost. It is right that there should be tough questions asked and no stone left un-turned in an effort to reveal what went wrong to enable so many vulnerable children and young people to be violated, but allowed their abusers to go unpunished. However the public have to be supremely confident that the people who are asking those tough questions and up-turning those strategically placed stones do not have the sort of connections, with high-level decision makers, which might give rise to allegations of possible conflict of interest at best or cover-up at worst. This isn’t sensationalism, just basic common sense.
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