We all need regulating!

Last night I watched Panorama. A rather depressing report about the new Vetting and Barring Scheme. Those behind the new quango seem totally unfazed by the monster they are creating. In fact one of the board members, Donald Findlater, said that people need regulating. This is a common theme of those signed up to do the handiwork of the New Labour Fright Regime. Far from keeping children safe from paedophiles, it will only serve to produce a multi-million pound quango raking in cash from those compelled to register. All the nine million people on the register, me included, will be up for all manner of potential problems.

One man has had a load of vile comments stuffed onto his CRB form. All this about raping children, etc, gets to be shoved around the system for all and sundry to see. In his case it was a load of unsubstantiated allegations. Now that's where this new quango comes into its own. Not just relying on facts from the courts they will include tittle-tattle and innuendo as so-called "soft evidence". It is this Chinese whisper style of policing the state that I find so objectionable. The head of the new Independent Safeguarding Authority, Sir Roger Singleton, seemed to find the prospect of data going astray on a train rather amusing. He claimed he had procedures in place and his staff were well trained. I'll remember that one. He is unwilling to consider that false information can be devastating to lives. Mostly this is about safeguarding those in authority from lawsuits and unnecessary inquiries.

I have a suggestion for Sir Roger. If he is so keen to rid society of paedophilia perhaps he can turn his attention to that radar thing. The one police officers keep going on about each time a conviction is brought against an offender. All the recent convictions would not have come about by anything Sir Roger and his team gets up to.

We live in a society where sleazy activity is carried on in the highest quarters. There is sleaze in parliament, in the boardrooms and in the sporting arena. Debauchery is carried out in most English towns and cities at the weekend. It's called binge drinking. A lot of people care little for behaving well. Added to this sexual gratification is now on a sliding scale of what is permissable or not. The scale has tilted in the direction of debauchery. Is it any wonder some grow up to be abusers, seeing as they have been abused themselves. What makes a young woman want to show her knickers to policemen whilst in a drunken state or a young man drop his trousers for a cheap thrill? It's hardly nature. It's got to be society's nurture.

So Sir Roger could start by addressing the slack approach taken by social services and others to inappropriate behaviour. But I somehow guess he won't. Not his department, is it? Far better to make a mint from nine million people and claim the paedophiles are out of the loop.

Here's his problem. He gets all nine million signed up and starts counting his takings. Then an outrage occurs and a police officer stands before the cameras saying, "This one was below our radar!". What does Sir Roger say next?

Posted in: Independent Safeguarding Authority,Panorama,Sir Roger Singleton