While I can't explain why the first reporting on this matter came from the British press, the story is an American one when essentially failure breeds unfair competition and the need by the Boy Scouts to attempt to poach from the Girl Scouts - one now shameful organization trying to diminish an organization with a very successful and proven track record.
Yes, the Boy Scouts are at it again attempting to rise from the ashes of years of child abuse and accepting leaders without screening or standards. But of course the question, once again, is how much did the Board, the volunteer leadership know? We do know that the leadership has known about the sexual abuse for multiple years. But is it not probable that the Board sanctioned the paid leadership's strategy to try to attract girls (and not always in a straightforward messaging way) from the very organization that has proven it can best serve these young women? This is a big strategy essentially requiring redirection and new policies - lots of new policies I would think given the history of the Boy Scouts and their ability to implement policies that may or may not be in place.
Anyway, something continues to be rotten in boy scout land. The BSA Board should apologize to the GSA and ask what they can do to be helpful and then reverse the policies that has allowed this poaching and tell leadership to do better about serving the youth they are meant to serve - it's in the mission! BSA Board: Do Better!
Here's the BBC article that stimulated this tirade of mine.