"There's no excuse for the continuing existence of this pattern of dysfunction, where women are thrown under buses that failed their ethical MoTs years ago."

It's been a while since I resigned as a matter of conscience from the Portsmouth Liberal Democrat machine - well, to be honest it was less of a well-oiled machine at that point and more like a charabanc with the wheels coming off - and it's been many months since I particularly had cause to think about it.But in the last few days I've been reading about the Football Association's (mis)handling of the Mark Sampson case, particularly the allegations of his poor conduct involving women, and the saga has perhaps inevitably planted elements of the Hancock debacle at the forefront of my brain again.