After these recent scandals just who can we trust now?

Who would have believed that the reputation of two of our most revered institutions would be ravaged by scandal in the same week? We have witnessed more than just a shot across the bows of both the British Parliament and the Irish Catholic Church. They are holed broadside and listing perilously and are hit now by a tidal wave of public anger and disgust.

They may not be sunk by the scandals but their authority is submerged, so much so that the lifeboats are all launched and a huge rescue operation is necessary to save their reputations.

The past has caught up with the Irish Catholic hierarchy. No one can be sure what the future holds for the British democratic process. We can say with certainty that neither of these venerable institutions will be seen in the same respectful light again. The damage to the image of both is incalculable.

From …