It probably didn't feel like the best of starts for the new children's commissioner for England, Maggie Atkinson.
Just two weeks into her post, Atkinson's comment that the age of criminal responsibility should be raised from 10 to 12 drew a furious response from the mother of the murdered toddler Jamie Bulger.
Although Denise Fergus's reaction was perhaps understandable, given her tragic loss, less comprehensible were those of schools secretary Ed Balls and the Ministry of Justice.
Balls, who appointed Atkinson despite opposition among MPs, described her comments as "ill-advised".
"My sympathies are with Mrs Bulger and not the children's commissioner," he told the BBC, although he later commented that he did not want to label any child as "intrinsically evil".
The Ministry of Justice said raising the age of criminality was "not in the interests of justice", even though a 2003 UN convention called for just that.
Denise Fergus, meanwhile, called for Atkinson to be sacked.
Yet all Atkinson wants is to drag the justice system in England and Wales out of medieval times and into modern-day Europe. Incidentally, her view on the age of criminal responsibility is one shared by her predecessor, Al Aynsley-Green, who also faced criticism for having such an enlightened outlook.
Unicef data show that the age of criminality in Germany and Italy is 14, in France and Poland it is 13. Even in totalitarian China it is 14.
Suddenly Atkinson's comments start to make sense, although only the Liberal Democrats, among the three major parties, would support the children's commissioner's stance.
Atkinson was a controversial choice as children's commissioner. Now she is proving to be controversial in post. Perhaps this is what we need.
Atkinson was attacked for one simple reason: an election is coming and the tabloids would turn against anyone who questioned the wisdom of Bulger's mother.
New Labour has long demonstrated that principles are not considered when elections are afoot!
It was refreshing to hear Maggie Atkinson's comments on this matter: notions of progressive evidence-based policy that allows all children to be treated as children has been drowned out by the howls of the angry mob in this sad affair about Jon Venables.
However, it would seem that Ms Atkinson has been somewhat naive in not expecting a reactionary backlash against her sensible if rather tame suggestions at this time. As Gerry rightly says, the imminence of an election will also minimise the support she might have in parliament from our spineless MPs and ministers.
What Maggie Atkinson is guilty of is underestimating the absouloute horror any right-minded individual would have to the horrific crimes carried out by these "children".
You cannot in any way try to excuse by claiming these "children" were under the age they should be tried.
As with all rules, exceptions must and should be made when faced with such horror. What they did can never and should never be excused. Trying to make liberal excuses for this is just plain wrong!
She should be sacked for the pain and anguish caused to this mother and the obvious lack of thought and compassion to those left after this crime to try to rebuild their shattered lives. All crimes have victims as well.