February 5th 2015 was an important day. The Home Secretary came to the House to deliver a statement on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse. (Turn on the volume on the Parliamentary player)
Many people, including the author of this post, found the speech moving. It was a seminal moment for many of us who were abused in childhood in institutional settings. Much of what so many abusees wanted was delivered in just twenty minutes by Mrs May. She had heard the roar of criticism from abusees, as well as members of her own party, about the non-statutory status of the Panel Inquiry.
Bill Cash MP (C) and a former Shadow Attorney General,both were helpful particularly the one on the right.
In her statement, the Home Secretary made a courageous ‘U’ turn and unsurprisingly, after a light dusting of criticism from the Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, it received cross party support.
That was nine months ago. But optimism following the speech has since withered. Mandate Now has indicated some of the reasons in numerous posts on this site – this being the most recent. While it is appreciated this unique inquiry is a very significant undertaking, the secretariat is not communicating with those who are meant to be at the centre of it. Resentment towards it is now commonplace, and much of it justified.
The expectation and hope the Home Secretary delivered on 5th February is being squandered by a flawed secretariat which seems to be operating with a ‘bunker’ mindset with no desire to change.