Esther Rantzen proved to be one of the more effective Roscoe lecturers when she addressed a capacity audience on St George's Hall on the continuingneed to protect vulnerable children from exploitation and abuse.
In the same setting the next day, culture secretary Tessa Jowell was somewhat less effective in evoking the pioneering spirit for Capital of Culture.

There is to be no more direct government funding, beyond the £10m already given (if you count £5m from the Arts Council as goverment cash, which I do).
Given the city council's own financial situation - a £50m 'hole' in overall budgeting, which means that assets will have to be sold or services cut - there is a £17m shortfall for 2008 events.
There is not even enough money to guarantee the correct level of policing at public gatherings.
Given that actual budgets are never those requested, there is still room for justifiable criticism, given the extra billions being poured into the 2012 Olympic deficit, and not least because the government still insists that Capital of Culture is a national event.
In other words they want the credit without coming up with the cash.
Not to worry. Ms Jowell must have other things on her mind: like how she will survive in Gordon Brown's re-shuffle.
Meanwhile,.Esther Rantzen is still value for money.
She called for an end to the adversarial court system, where highly paid and trained lawyers specialise in making mincemeat of innocent victims.
The chief constable, put on the spot during the sebsequent question and answer session, agreed.
Oh that the situation could be sorted out with such clarity and ease.
But lawyers are a powerful , self-protecting bunch with hundreds of years of history on their side.
Meanwhile, the public will for change could not be more apparent than was made obvious by the applause for Ms Rantzen.

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