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Politics2 mins ago
Historic Child Abuse Inquiry
After claims of a Westminster Paedophile ring surfaced in the summer, the Prime Minister set up an inquiry into that and other historic child abuse cases. The Prime Minister was facing questions at the time about Leon Brittan's time at the home office, and allegations that a dossier handed to Brittan by Geoffrey Dickens MP was sunsequently lost by him.
It now turns out that Fiona Wolfe, who is to head the inquiry freqently had dinner parties with the man she is supposed to be investigating.
Surely that is not right and someone more independent should replace her.
// Mrs Woolf faces calls to step down after she revealed details of dinner parties and other links with a Lord Brittan, the Tory grandee at the centre of the scandal. Lord Brittan was in charge of the Home Office in the 1980s. It has been claimed that Lord Brittan was handed a file – now missing – in late 1983 which allegedly detailed child abuse at the highest levels of Westminster. //
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It now turns out that Fiona Wolfe, who is to head the inquiry freqently had dinner parties with the man she is supposed to be investigating.
Surely that is not right and someone more independent should replace her.
// Mrs Woolf faces calls to step down after she revealed details of dinner parties and other links with a Lord Brittan, the Tory grandee at the centre of the scandal. Lord Brittan was in charge of the Home Office in the 1980s. It has been claimed that Lord Brittan was handed a file – now missing – in late 1983 which allegedly detailed child abuse at the highest levels of Westminster. //
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As you might imagine, the Mandarins in their search for a suitable candidate to white-wash whatever, would ask if there is anything that would prevent the chosen candidate from er doing a decent whitewash job....
remember she gets to be a Lord if she does the whitewash to reasonable expectations
and when asked - she said 'no'
Clearly this isnt a planned cock-up
I feel sorry for the spoiled candidates - all vying for honours gongs and enhanced pensions.... and all they get for their devotion is a good kicking
remember she gets to be a Lord if she does the whitewash to reasonable expectations
and when asked - she said 'no'
Clearly this isnt a planned cock-up
I feel sorry for the spoiled candidates - all vying for honours gongs and enhanced pensions.... and all they get for their devotion is a good kicking
that's right, in a mo, the first choice turned out to have beent he attorney general's brother (and Nigel Havers' auntie).
But that's the establishment for you, they all know each other and go to each others' dinner parties. So when scandal touches Westminister it disqualifies all the usual commission suspects.
I however know none of them and charge quite modest fees.
But that's the establishment for you, they all know each other and go to each others' dinner parties. So when scandal touches Westminister it disqualifies all the usual commission suspects.
I however know none of them and charge quite modest fees.
I have been following this closely for the last couple of days, and watched Mrs Woolf giving evidence before the Committee.
Can I address the issue of "The Establishment" first. If we are going to faff around any longer, trying to find someone to Chair this Enquiry, that isn't part of the Establishment, we might as well not bother to have the flipping Enquiry at all. The "Establishment" is everywhere...politicians, the Judiciary, the House of Lords, the House of Commons, the Church, the Armed Forces, etc, etc. We need someone of importance, not the bloke down the chip shop. While Woolf may not be ideal, who is ? She has a Panel around her in this Enquiry, who appear to qualified in all the areas that will need to be investigated. Woolf herself doesn't need to be an expert in all the areas as well. I heard a lady member of the Panel being interviewed on the Today Program this morning, and as a person that has been abused in the past, she gave a very good account of herself and I for one are quite content to know that she will make an excellent member of the team. I have no reason to suspect that others on the Panel are also not suitably qualified.
Can I also remind people of the fact that the dossier that Dickens gave to Leon Brittain and then went missing, isn't the only reason that Brittian may not be terribly keen to appear in front of the Enquiry. Delicacy forbids me from making myself any clearer but anyone with enough time can google Elm Guest House to find a possible reason why he would rather not appear.
If we were to exclude anyone who had had dinner with a politician in the 60's and 70's from being on the Panel for this enquiry, let alone Chair it, the man down the chip shop may be the only one left.
We have faffed around with investigating historic child abuse and its cover-up by the Police and various high-ranking politicians for over 50 years now...maybe longer, and we need to get started without any more delay. Good people are hardly falling over themselves to Chair this Enquiry, so they should stick with what they have, pull their bally fingers out and get on with the job in question, before any more of the victims of child abuse die.
Can I address the issue of "The Establishment" first. If we are going to faff around any longer, trying to find someone to Chair this Enquiry, that isn't part of the Establishment, we might as well not bother to have the flipping Enquiry at all. The "Establishment" is everywhere...politicians, the Judiciary, the House of Lords, the House of Commons, the Church, the Armed Forces, etc, etc. We need someone of importance, not the bloke down the chip shop. While Woolf may not be ideal, who is ? She has a Panel around her in this Enquiry, who appear to qualified in all the areas that will need to be investigated. Woolf herself doesn't need to be an expert in all the areas as well. I heard a lady member of the Panel being interviewed on the Today Program this morning, and as a person that has been abused in the past, she gave a very good account of herself and I for one are quite content to know that she will make an excellent member of the team. I have no reason to suspect that others on the Panel are also not suitably qualified.
Can I also remind people of the fact that the dossier that Dickens gave to Leon Brittain and then went missing, isn't the only reason that Brittian may not be terribly keen to appear in front of the Enquiry. Delicacy forbids me from making myself any clearer but anyone with enough time can google Elm Guest House to find a possible reason why he would rather not appear.
If we were to exclude anyone who had had dinner with a politician in the 60's and 70's from being on the Panel for this enquiry, let alone Chair it, the man down the chip shop may be the only one left.
We have faffed around with investigating historic child abuse and its cover-up by the Police and various high-ranking politicians for over 50 years now...maybe longer, and we need to get started without any more delay. Good people are hardly falling over themselves to Chair this Enquiry, so they should stick with what they have, pull their bally fingers out and get on with the job in question, before any more of the victims of child abuse die.
Oh dear, it now seems she suffers from memory malfunctions...
// In her letter to the home secretary, Woolf said: “I have had no social contact with Lady Brittan since 23 April 2013 and have not spoken to either of them in person or by telephone since.” //
Unfortunately several photographs of Woolf and Lady Brittan have emerged showing them together AFTER that date.
I suspect she will stand down before the week is out.
// In her letter to the home secretary, Woolf said: “I have had no social contact with Lady Brittan since 23 April 2013 and have not spoken to either of them in person or by telephone since.” //
Unfortunately several photographs of Woolf and Lady Brittan have emerged showing them together AFTER that date.
I suspect she will stand down before the week is out.
Mikey, if the son of a judge's next-door neighbours were due to face a charge in court and the judge himself were scheduled to be that day's person to hear the evidence, what do you suppose he should do about it? Indeed, I imagine the rules which regulate court proceedings would demand it of him. He'd stand down automatically.
Surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to find SOMEONE qualified and capable to run an inquiry such as this who ISN'T 'pals' with the likely culprits!
Surely it cannot be beyond the wit of man to find SOMEONE qualified and capable to run an inquiry such as this who ISN'T 'pals' with the likely culprits!
QM...your analogy is not really related to this Enquiry at all.
I have a friend who is a senior Magistrate in the Midlands. He has been on the Bench for 40 years, and he now finds himself judging the grandsons of the men he originally tried and convicted all those years ago. Knowing anybody associated with a trial hardly ever results in a Magistrate having to step aside. If it did, Magistrates all over the country would be resigning in droves, thus bringing the judicial system grinding to a halt.
My point that if we are looking for someone who isn't part of the Establishment, we will be looking in vain. That is why the Establishment is called the Establishment ....its everywhere around us, in every part of our lives. Nobody is suggesting that the rest of the Panel is in anyway unsuitable, so we should just bite the bullet and get on with it. If we don't, then the ball will be quietly kicked into touch....again. That process of kicking the ball started the day after dave announced this Enquiry earlier on this summer.
Beware of the grey suits lurking in the background.
I have a friend who is a senior Magistrate in the Midlands. He has been on the Bench for 40 years, and he now finds himself judging the grandsons of the men he originally tried and convicted all those years ago. Knowing anybody associated with a trial hardly ever results in a Magistrate having to step aside. If it did, Magistrates all over the country would be resigning in droves, thus bringing the judicial system grinding to a halt.
My point that if we are looking for someone who isn't part of the Establishment, we will be looking in vain. That is why the Establishment is called the Establishment ....its everywhere around us, in every part of our lives. Nobody is suggesting that the rest of the Panel is in anyway unsuitable, so we should just bite the bullet and get on with it. If we don't, then the ball will be quietly kicked into touch....again. That process of kicking the ball started the day after dave announced this Enquiry earlier on this summer.
Beware of the grey suits lurking in the background.
In my analogy, I wasn't really thinking about a magistrate, Mikey, but rather one of the senior judiciary trying the suspect in an extremely serious criminal case...eg Old Bailey/murder rather than Tesco's/shoplifting!
For example, there must be more than one Northern Irish or Scottish judge or senior barrister who has little contact with London's social set or high-level politicians and never attends their dinners...sorry, "kitchen suppers".
For example, there must be more than one Northern Irish or Scottish judge or senior barrister who has little contact with London's social set or high-level politicians and never attends their dinners...sorry, "kitchen suppers".
Actually I think the phrase is "Country Suppers" QM....a phrase I have never heard of until dave mentioned it in a conversation about his relationship with
Rebekkah ! I think it is the same as the suppers that us ordinary folk have, although the wine will be more expensive, and the accents more cut glass that the champagne flutes.
Perhaps a NI official may indeed be suitable, as NI has been excluded in the scope of this Enquiry, although I am not sure why. The notorious Kincora Boys Home scandal had links with similar paedophile activity in England, and more exactly involving Westminster-based politicians. And that is my point.......wherever you look, you will find evidence of paedophile activity and cover-ups all over Britain. They are all linked together, and no part of the Establishment is untainted with filth.
I urge you to read " Smile for the Camera- the secret life of Cyril Smith"...it will make your hair stand on end.
Rebekkah ! I think it is the same as the suppers that us ordinary folk have, although the wine will be more expensive, and the accents more cut glass that the champagne flutes.
Perhaps a NI official may indeed be suitable, as NI has been excluded in the scope of this Enquiry, although I am not sure why. The notorious Kincora Boys Home scandal had links with similar paedophile activity in England, and more exactly involving Westminster-based politicians. And that is my point.......wherever you look, you will find evidence of paedophile activity and cover-ups all over Britain. They are all linked together, and no part of the Establishment is untainted with filth.
I urge you to read " Smile for the Camera- the secret life of Cyril Smith"...it will make your hair stand on end.
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Mikey, you'll find quite an amusing article about kitchen suppers on the link above. It specifically refers to Francis Maude who was the first person I ever heard of as using the phrase under discussion.
Mikey, you'll find quite an amusing article about kitchen suppers on the link above. It specifically refers to Francis Maude who was the first person I ever heard of as using the phrase under discussion.
This clip from the BBC News website makes for very interesting viewing :::
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What a good woman Ann Lucas is. We need more like her, thats for sure.
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What a good woman Ann Lucas is. We need more like her, thats for sure.
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