Two voices – one nation of tolerance

THE Mail on Sunday today publishes two powerful pleas for mutual understanding, caution and reconciliation. One comes from a leading businessman, Simon Wolfson, the boss of Next. The other comes from the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is fascinating to see how much the worldly employer and the spiritual leader agree.

Archbishop Justin Welby identifies a great change in the national mood, especially following the tragedy of Grenfell Tower and the horrific series of terrorist attacks. He movingly praises our continuing national talents for tolerance, courage and compassion.

And both men call for a gentler, more open and generous approach to our most pressing problem – Brexit.

At a time when our political parties and institutions are divided and chastened by the Election result, this is only sensible. A sobering series of events have given us all cause to think deeply about who we are and where we are going. A year after the referendum, there is no doubt that many of us are not as sure – or as intolerant of disagreement – as we were in the heat of that often rather crude campaign.

Wise Remainers long ago conceded that the result must be respected. Wise Leavers are increasingly coming to see that, as the Archbishop says, ‘the future of this country is not a zero-sum, winner-take-all calculation, but must rest on the reconciled common good’. Lord Wolfson similarly warns that extremes ‘encourage the other side’s intransigence’.

Of course, 52 per cent is a majority. But it does not absolve that majority from persuasion or compromise. And the General Election very much failed to provide a clear majority for a hard Brexit.

The Archbishop, speaking from a position far beyond and outside politics, having nothing to gain and no ambition to fulfil, suggests a new cross-party forum, under the authority of Parliament, so that we may draw the poison out of the debate, come together over Brexit and present a united front to the EU in the crucial talks now beginning. Our MPs and political leaders should listen, and take this wise proposal very seriously indeed.

A shameful cover-up

A SHOCKING cover-up by the Government is today revealed by this newspaper. The Ministry of Justice, under its former Secretary of State Liz Truss, recently buried a damning report which suggests that its treatment of convicted rapists and paedophiles was for years not just ineffective but actively counter-productive.

Offenders, treated by inadequately trained staff, in some cases became more dangerous than before. Quite rightly, the scheme has been abandoned. Quite wrongly, the failure was kept secret.

This is a disgrace. A huge part of our criminal justice system is now devoted to the detection, prosecution and punishment of sexual offences. This is because such offences, most especially against children, are among the worst crimes of all, and have in the past been ignored or dealt with far too leniently.

So when it comes to the treatment of these offenders, we must be sure we know what we are doing. Mistakes must be openly admitted. Without a free press, this error might have been permanently covered up. Ms Truss’s successor should learn from this and be sure not to repeat it.