I AM pretty sure this column will divide opinion, so let’s start with something we can hopefully all agree on. One fewer extremist on the streets, one more person accepting that violence and abuse solve nothing, is to be welcomed.

I am not yet sure we should welcome the former leader of the English Defence League (EDL), Tommy Robinson, into the democratic fold with open arms. But I am prepared to have an open mind.

This week, in a very public way, Robinson left the EDL, saying it had become too extreme.

Resisting the temptation to shout “And who’s fault is that, Mr Robinson?”, I listened carefully to what he said and also observed his body language.

Robinson’s erstwhile followers were thugs - a throwback to the boots-and-bother boys of the 1970s. They claimed to be protesting against Islamic extremists, but their target was ordinary Muslim citizens who have as little time as the rest of us for the criminals who pervert the teaching of their religion.

But Robinson is no mug. He is street-wise with the rough edges of someone who is selftaught.

He has an ego, hence the designer shades he sported on street demos, but his self-esteem has its limits. I watched his interviews and noticed how he avoided eye contact at every opportunity. He is comfortable talking down to people who aren’t so smart but not so confident when pitched in against those who argue back.

I have always believed that justice is about punishment and deterrence but also about diversion from wrong-doing and finally rehabilitation, where someone can be accepted back into society.

If we can give muggers, and worse, a second chance then it would seem just to do the same for Robinson, but there’s still one step he has to take in the journey to rehabilitation.

He has said he is repudiating the street tactics of the EDL because they are “no longer productive” and has acknowledged that right-wing extremism is dangerous.

But he hasn’t said he is sorry and I for one want to hear that unreserved apology from him. The mugger shows he has reformed by not robbing. But he also tells his victim, society and himself that he now knows what he did was utterly unacceptable. He doesn’t seek out other, less risky ways of doing wrong.

Unless Robinson does this, people will think he has turned his coat for convenience not conscience and he will never have credibility.

Does all this matter? Even in his home town Luton, he’s no hero. Extremists of the left and right are few in this country, thank goodness. But they exert a malign influence that is disproportionate to their numbers.

Politics is the art of the possible and seeking the greatest good for the greatest number.

It is sometimes about ensuring the least harm is done. It is also a tough game. It would be a wonderful world if everyone we had to deal with in public life was a St Francis or Mother Teresa. But they are not. Some occupy the other end of the moral spectrum.

But you have to talk to them and engage with them. And if doing that brings about an end to violence, then you have to hold your nose and look to the future.

Many people who used violence to achieve political ends have repudiated their past.

Maybe Robinson is taking the first step down that same road to reconciliation. There’ll be many to help him on his journey but he shouldn’t be surprised if others are watching his every move.