Vindication

In a recent article I criticised the World Athletic Championships. Since that time, Lord Coe lambasted Gabby Logan for her interview with a high-ranking official and generally being negative about the staging of the games.

After that Alberto Salazar – a good friend of Coe – the coach of Mo Farah found himself in deep du-du and banned after a four year investigation.

In an interesting investigative piece in The Times on Friday Matt Dickinson exposed the role of Nike in all of this.

Paula – goody-two -shoes – Radcliffe was less than vocal in her criticism but like Coe she has close links with Nike. Nike are working on a shoe for the Kenyan who is seeking to run the Marathon in less than two hours. A Nike shoe can set you back £239.

I did not like to trespass on judicial matters but in the week I had an interesting chat with my cousin, a solicitor who eschewed commercial work for family and social cases and causes.

She was working up a head of steam over the decision that abuse victims should not be subjected to cross examination. Though no fan of the judiciary she said a judge was more than capable of restraint of an over aggressive cross examination. If the police cannot review evidence properly, she continued, any fantasist or masleveolent can say what they like.

The Met are left with considerable egg on their face for the way they failed to see through the evidence of Carl Beech as a result of which Lord Brittan, in his 90s and suffering from terminal cancer, was exposed to unimaginable stress – not least from Tom Watson – in defending his reputation.

The point is simple. You do not need to argue a counter view, rolling news will do it for you.