Rumour, scandal & cynicism

On a previous blog I wondered what drove Asst. Commander Yates to pursue the investigation on 'cash for honours' with such tenacity. Today's announcement leaves me still wondering at his motives. Perhaps it was nothing more than cynicism, a deeply held view that all politicans are corrupt and there must be something to hide. If so, he has failed in his duty to the public. His task was to collect the evidence, assess it dispassionately and take a view as to whether a crime has been committed. Exposed to the Crown Prosecution Service's scrutiny his evidence has been found wanting or absent. I hope Yates never suffers at the hand of an unfounded whispering campaign that starts out on a false premise and gathers momentum incrementally, stoked by those who wish him ill - he'll find it is no fun and desperately difficult to counter.

The BBC commentator says tonight that public trust in politics has been badly dented: which I thought was rather rich. Forgive me - wasn't it the BBC who had to fess up to cheating the public earlier this week? And wasn't it the Asst Commander of the Met who got it wrong? And wasn't it the politician and his colleagues who were proved innocent? I am forced to ask - who's been responsible for this erosion of public trust?

Personally, I believe that since the Gilligan/Kelly/Campbell dispute, journalists on the BBC have had it in for the Labour Government, too easily displaying the kind of cynicism apparently shared by Commander Yates. They're human and I guess they were left smarting when Campbell was proved right and their BBC colleague wrong. When cynicism becomes the nation's mood music it's no wonder the public loses trust in all the great institutions of State: Parliament, Police, Press - all mistrusted now and all to blame.