Is there any justice?

 

'Justice delayed is justice denied' is a phrase often attributed to the British Prime Minister W.E. Gladstone from a debate in 1868. It means that if there is a legal solution to an issue suffered by someone and yet it is not dealt with in a timely and efficient way, it is as bad as if justice had been denied altogether. Very wise, perhaps, and certainly applicable to many situations I can think of. Like that of the families of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough football disaster which happened in 1989 but has only reached court this week, only to be dismissed by the judge. Their justice has been both delayed and denied.

But there is another similar problem. Justice rushed is no justice at all. This week the UK media have been obsessed with the vengeful ranting of an ex-employee of the current Prime Minister, who has been spilling the beans very publicly in an attempt to justify himself and vilify his ex-bosses. Dominic Cummings has set himself up as judge and jury of the way that the UK government handled the Covid 19 pandemic, and has been deeply critical of all involved, especially the Prime Minister.

Perhaps the blame culture we live in today is not as helpful as we would like it to be. It is clearly too soon to gather all the evidence and assess the effectiveness of the handling of a pandemic that is still raging. Countries like South Africa and Seychelles are reporting signs of a third wave, and we simply cannot yet afford the luxury of hindsight. When the time does come for such reflection, what are our options? To imprison some, or to execute others? I don't think so. 

This was an unprecedented assault by a force outside of our human experience and faced by the whole world at pretty much the same time. Lessons should surely be learned for the next pandemic - and there will be others - but blame is such an empty exercise. Sometimes grief demands that someone should carry the can for the things, or the people, that we have lost, but loss and fragility are built-in to our humanity, and it can be unhelpful to be constantly scouring the horizon for someone to blame.

There will come a day, though, when we will all stand before the assizes of the ages, and the events and deeds of this life will be examined. We might expect justice then, but actually, we will be heavily dependent upon mercy. For mercy is better than justice. And mercy has a name - that name is Jesus!

A Falling Star

To my generation Jimmy Saville was a legend. His wild and wacky ways endeared him to British youth throughout the latter years of the 20th Century. His charity work elevated him to the ranks of almost sainthood in the minds of folk of all ages.  His funeral procession was watched by thousands following a prolonged lying-in-state during which many more had filed past is outlandish coffin. He was a national treasure.

Now, in the space of a couple of weeks, Saville's star has crashed.  Scores of women are coming forward to accuse him of sexual offences against them in the past.  There are allegations of child abuse, indecent assaults and even rape.  Five police forces are investigating his conduct posthumously and today the Head of the BBC described what is alleged to have gone on at BBC Centre in London as a 'cesspit'.

I am amazed that despite being investigated at the time by police in more than one area, he was never actually charged.  Perhaps if he had been, the aura around him would have been dispersed and other victims might have had the courage to speak out.  As it was, the social climate of that day was not prepared to believe the word of young people against that of a star like Saville.  They simply said there was no evidence, when what they meant was that there was only the evidence of the complainant, which today, thankfully, is finally taken seriously.

What can we learn from this?  Well, we cannot take child protection for granted, even in the presence of celebrity.  And the culture of celebrity itself is in the spotlight.  We need to listen to young people and children when they speak to us of abuse, or their conduct gives rise to suspicion in this area. Yes, there have been micarriages of justice in this regard, but the price paid by victims of the actual abuse means that we cannot disregard a cry for help.  And Jimmy Saville?  Well, perhaps he is finding out the actual weight of a millstone right now.  I bet it's a lot heavier than a knighthood ribbon.