We thought the Bishops had taught us a thing or two about “cover ups” but they are in the ha’penny place compared to the accounts of the leading players reported in this week’s publication of the Tribunal’s proceedings. The fact that it took 14 years to complete is due in no small way to the battery of expensive professionals those being investigated were able to muster to their defence. They did a monumental amount of work to provide evidence, under oath, of how the awarding of the mobile phone licence was carried out. Unfortunately the Tribunal’s Chairman did not believe their evidence earning the scorn and accusations of bias by those he was being paid to investigate. The Chairman then fell back on that old reliable – when all else fails follow the money trail! This led through a labyrinth of banks and bagmen before reaching its intended destination. Fortunately “numbers are chiels that dinna ding” or, for the benefit of English speakers, you cannot make numbers say one thing and mean another! If all this looks like corruption, smells like corruption… The Report has been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions so we will find out the answer in due course. What has the Bible to comment on all this? Contrary to the folk religion notion “there is good in everyone” scripture starts from a very low view of people. From the fall the bias has been wrong. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” Genesis Chapter 6 verse 5. All of us are deeply flawed – that’s why we need locks and laws, rules and regulations. When these are not applied with strong ethical values we end up in a mess. But where are we to look for these values? To the secular humanist? To the liberated female? To the enlightened atheist? To the latest scientific guru? Anywhere – as long as we do not have to acknowledge the existence of God! So long as we do not have to admit that the values we need come out of the Judaea/Christian heritage! It is in that admission of our need that we begin the painful journey of turning from self reliance to dependence on Christ. But, you may ask, cannot we have the values without the One who demonstrated them? Wasn’t the “Rich Young Ruler” commended because he was on the right track? (St Mark ch.10) Jesus loved him but required a changed lifestyle, in other words a conversion. The sin problem must be dealt with. The bias needs to be corrected. A “Christianising” of conduct may fool others but not God who has sent His Son to be our sinbearer. This world will always be in a mess but you need not be part of it. Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the Life” – follow him all of your days on earth then forever more.