Today we learn that a whistleblower warned Haringey Council's Social Services Department were failing miserably to protect children. They were told child abuse was not being tackled and:
"sexual abuse had been ongoing for months and the new management brought in post-Climbie had not acted"
No less than four, yes four, Government Ministers were warned. Yet they did not act. Haringey Council was warned. Yet they did not act. Haringey preferred to shoot the messenger - suspending the whistleblower and serving her with a gagging order to cover it all up.
What do they have to say for themselves? Proper procedures were followed. What kind of an excuse is that? Funny, isn't it, that once raised by David Cameron in Parliament Ministers are pretty quick to send in the inspectors, after spending 15 months doing nothing. Funny, isn't it, that Haringey only say sorry when under massive pressure from the public outcry, yet no-one gets the bullet for it.
For all us parents, the worst nightmare is the life of a child snuffed out ahead of time. There is no greater disgust than that reserved for a public authority that thinks box ticking, proper procedures and cover ups are more important than the lives of our children. The problem with Government - especially this Government - is that box ticking is too often considered more important than compassion, decency, responsibility and the right to life.
Voltaire once wrote of Britain:
"In this country it is a good thing to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others."
We might not be quite so stern in our view of responsibility these days, yet heads should roll in Haringey and in the Government. This is not a case of moral panic. We just have to ram home the message that responsibility, decency and compassion are timeless concepts far, far more important than the proper procedures of the box tickers.