Another week, another story to illustrate the toxic culture of suspicion which is corroding our society.
The Government's barmy announcement that more than 11million adults must undergo vetting and registration if they have contact with children, even if they are only providing transport to sports matches or afterschool activities, is the final straw.
Philip Pullman and Michael Morpurgo are just two much-loved authors who say they are now refusing to visit schools because of these checks.
Flashpoint: Anthony Seldon believes police behaviour at the G20 summit in London dented our confidence in officers and is an example of loss of trust in institutions
Children's Secretary Ed Balls has been forced by a public and media outcry to order a review, but the whole sad incident is nevertheless symptomatic of a culture in which, at all levels of society, we are increasingly losing trust.
The Government no longer trusts its citizens: the swathes of CCTV cameras, multiple databases and increased powers for police and councils to stop and search us or invade our privacy are testimony to that.
Equally, the people don't trust those in power because they are outraged by creeping government control and countless examples of utter ineptitude and rank dishonesty over several years, culminating in the scandal surrounding MPs' expenses.
Historians regard this as the worst moment for Parliament in living memory.
Worse, we have also lost our faith in many of the other institutions that we rely on for our day-to-day security and well-being.
At the G20 summit in London earlier this year, the police were caught on camera battering members of the public, and the cover-up after the death of an innocent bystander, Ian Tomlinson, further dented confidence in the police to tell the truth and to protect us.
Our bankers have been reckless and avaricious. Their behaviour has resulted in suffering for millions during this recession, and yet now, after taxpayer bailouts for the banks, they seem to be returning brazenly to their old high bonus ways with no remorse.
Health and social services staff work hard, but have often been mired in scandals about trustworthiness, whether over Baby P or cleanliness in hospitals.
The British love their sport, but can we trust our sportsmen any more? Recent episodes on the rugby field with 'Bloodgate' and deliberate crashing in Formula 1 are corroding our trust in sport. Worst of all, we've even lost trust in one another as human beings.
Many people have written about trust and its loss over the years. The philosopher Onora O'Neill gave a series of BBC Reith Lectures on the subject back in 2002. But neither she nor anyone else has much to say about what we can do to stop the rot and learn to trust one another again.
That is what I am seeking to achieve in writing my book, Trust. We have reached a genuine tipping point - we cannot carry on like this any longer.
Click on link to read the Daily Mail article
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