NO HONOUR HERE

Not that I’m a fan of the honours system, but I see outrage that Alison Saunders is honoured  due to a few men (who were given interview time this morning) being wrongly accused. The purpose of the CPS is to prosecute when its in the public interest (Rape should always be) and there is a reasonable chance of conviction ( not a guarantee) While I recognise that being wrongly accused must be a dreadful experience for the very few men who encounter it, it needs to be balanced with the devastating effect that rape and sexual violence has on the many women who are subjected to it with little or no prospect of a successful conviction. The irony that the result of the a small number of men being held on bail for a long time and late disclosure of evidence from the CPS has led to men being released without bail and many trials dropped due to disclosure issues or women having just experienced violation being asked to share their phone/internet and social media history as if they were on trial not the perpetrator. Which ever way the criminal justice system leans, women lose out.

Also on the list Iain Duncan Smith who led the DWP as thousands of vulnerable people (5,000 with a terminal diagnosis and over 10,000 others) died within 6 months of being rejected for Personal Independent Payment.

Where is the outrage for the women who are consistently failed by the system, or for the lives lost when they are at their most in need of support? It seems we are to quick to honour those who work for and within the system and less concerned for those it fails. Maybe its time to change the system.

Sally Jackson