IT led the national BBC news. It prompted press articles and discussions on numerous radio and TV programmes. At its centre was a woman whose courage and fortitude had earned her universal respect and admiration.

She was Jill Saward, victim of the notorious Ealing vicarage rape, who had died, aged just 51. The magnitude of her decision to waive her right to anonymity after the rape, the first victim to do so, can hardly be overstated. Fingers would be pointed, sly, or not so sly, glances made. “That’s the vicar’s daughter who was raped.”

But Miss Saward chose not only to face the consequences of publicity, which would have been short-lived. She went on to campaign for better understanding and treatment of victims of sexual violence.

The obituaries concurred that by this she brought about a more enlightened public attitude to rape and, consequence of that improvement, changed criminal justice. Amazingly the law as it stood prevented rape victims knowing the names of their attackers until they faced each other in court. Nor was there any provision for an appeal against a light sentence, a now standard feature of the law, achieved largely through public outrage at the judge’s leniency towards Miss Saward’s attackers.

Her death came just five days after the New Year Honours, with their usual heavy emphasis on “celebrities” and political time servers, were unveiled, Jill Saward’s three decades of campaigning had included setting up a charity to support victims of sexual violence and their families. But, in the obituaries, it was noticeable that no honour was attached to her name. Makes you think, doesn’t it?
 

A BREXIT fact always to keep at the forefront of your mind: we have never had a trade deal with the US.

What’s that got to do with us and the EU? Well, the Man from Mars could be excused for thinking that Brexit is all about Britain’s access, or otherwise, to the ‘single market’. He would gather that without access, trade would virtually cease.

Well, we’ve been trading with the US throughout its history. Lack of a trade deal doesn’t seem to have greatly impeded the free, two-way flow of goods. And so it should be with the EU.

Since it exports to us more than we send in return, it would be madness on its behalf to impose punitive tariffs. Britain’s mistake has been to delay Brexit. Had we triggered the ‘leave’ process almost immediately this would have sharply focussed minds on both sides of the Channel. And unless both were to suffer it should have swiftly brought about the sensible arrangement which, assuming sanity behind the cold-shoulder posturing of present EU leaders, should eventually be arrived at anyway.
 

NICE to see Sir Bobby Charlton present – and applauding – as Wayne Rooney equalled his 43-year-old record of 249 goals for Manchester United. I wonder if Sir Bobby reflected on a particular change since his day. He was probably the only one of the 74,396 Old Trafford crowd wearing a hat. And I bet he was the only one wearing a trilby.