Harry and Megan

[PaulP]

This kind of highlights one of the issues with the discussion of this topic Paul.

Folks will often accept or reject an allegation as fact based on their own values and personal perceptions of the individuals.

In the case of Brittany Higgins it remains an allegation.
A jury who had listened to all the evidence had failed to come to a decision before the trial was eventually aborted.
That won't stop people believing what they want to believe.
I have no idea what happened in Parliament House.
The jury in the case couldn't be convinced either way at the point the trial was terminated.

Harry and Meghan have made some allegations.
In a similar fashon to the Higgins case the accused have chosen not to respond.
Into the void folks, from the outside, will put their own values, perceptions and life experiences to determine which side  to favour.

No doubt, but that way of thinking in the public sphere works to undermine victims.  Tame and Higgins are smart educated women. They make these allegations fully aware, either through briefing or through self knowledge, that any "rewards" they receive in making such allegations will be dwarfed by years and years of stress, vitriol, character assassination and the like. And they are prepared to endure all that in order to sell a few books, or appear on the telly for their 15 minutes of fame, when a conviction for the offender is far from a certainty ? Somehow I doubt it. The fact that the jury failed to reach a decision in the Higgins case tells you nothing about what really happened.