A time to cherish the common good

WALES and the world are in a chapter of change and we can look to the coming 12 months with both apprehension and excitement.

A time of transition can be unsettling but there is the chance to build a nation which is safer, fairer, freer and kinder.

The past year has demonstrated that some things should not stay the same.

Women who have stepped forward to detail the scourge of sexual harassment have woken up different societies and industries to scandalous and cruel behaviour that has been tolerated for too long.

We can hope that this is a moment of transformation which will make it much harder for those in power to exploit their positions.

We do not want our children to grow up in a culture where they will be objectified and harassed. Their dignity should be respected and cherished, and if those who spoke out have unlocked true reform than we owe them a debt of gratitude.

The images in June of Grenfell Tower in flames rightly shocked Britain awake to the enduring inequality that blights society. We have grown used to grotesque disparities in wealth but all people have a right to a home where they can sleep safely; the survivors deserve to know that their suffering will spur a country to deliver justice.

Terrorist attacks in Manchester and London and around the world exposed the cruel madness burning in the hearts of extremists but attempts to divide a country have failed. If anything, there is brave defiance at work as people in terror-hit cities refuse to surrender to hate.

In the wake of atrocities we see trained emergency workers rush into scenes of potential danger and display heroism and excellence. But we also see individual men and women show courageous kindness to strangers and in such acts we witness the compassion and courage which is a true force for healing.

A recognition of common humanity drives a desire to ensure that those who are vulnerable in our midst are not denied their rights, their dignity or the respect they deserve. This is the culture change which needs to unfold in 2018.

We need to ensure that children in care and adults in care are afforded the greatest compassions our society can muster. It must be remembered that the true sign of a society worth having is one that treats its most vulnerable with dignity.

Values such as these must be at the heart of all tiers of government too as the UK navigates Brexit’s uncharted waters. Throughout this particular challenging journey what matters most is not personal gain or ambition but that our communities are best served. This endeavour should be at the forefront and we should also strive to make sure that Wales’ schools, hospitals – and even our political institutions are places where you see respect in action.

Wales will be enriched if we can show the rest of the UK that a democracy can achieve for all its citizens through shared pursuit of a common good. The Western Mail newspaper is published by Media Wales a subsidiary company of Trinity Mirror PLC, which is a member of IPSO, the Independent Press Standards Organisation. The entire contents of The Western Mail are the copyright of Media Wales Ltd. It is an offence to copy any of its contents in any way without the company’s permission. If you require a licence to copy parts of it in any way or form, write to the Head of Finance at Six Park Street. The recycled paper content of UK newspapers in 2016 was 62.8%