What Happened to Systemic Common Sense?

 There was a time when discretion was considered a virtue in public service. When a policeman could resolve a dispute with a quiet word, when a nurse or care worker could rely on professional instinct, and when judgment wasn’t a liability but an expectation. Today, that era feels as distant as the gas lamp and the village bobby. We live now in a Britain where common sense has been systematically replaced with policy. And in the case of Donald Burgess, it ended in tragedy.

Burgess was 93 years old, frail, had one leg and was wheelchair-bound, suffering from advanced dementia. On top of this, he had a severe urinary tract infection, and anyone with elderly relatives knows that infection can significantly impact mental functionality in the elderly. It is literally akin to being under the influence of a heavy depressant like alcohol or morphine.

He was in a care home, confused, possibly frightened and holding a butter knife, flicking food but not threatening anyone. Once, this would have been met with kindness, patience or a gentle redirection. Today, in the age of “zero tolerance”, that butter knife became “a weapon”, and the police were summoned....<<<Read More>>>...