Schofield saga-to think this is all very odd?

[Howwindyisittoday]

It’s very confusing.
Rumours have been circulating for three years, even I knew the rumours, how on earth did Holly and others not?
He says there was no injunction, so the boy could have spoken out at any time..so why is it all coming out now?? Why has Holly suddenly distanced herself, why have itv got rid of him now?
They've now said the boy was 15 when they met (sure was younger?) and nothing happened until he was older, nothing illegal but still massively wrong. But if there is nothing illegal and they all knew about it…why now?
Why has P.S been so willing to go along with it this week?

This feels like a cover up for something much much worse?

Yes it does suggest more to come – perhaps MM will be giving his own account of things in due course and it does not look good.

Agree the situation with his brother draws more attention to the evident grooming that went on here – and from ITV’s, etc. POV, there is a clear mental link there for the public now.

I assumed that the whole ‘rift’ with Holly was her reading the room and issuing an ultimatum about him going or her. But as you say, maybe there’s (even) more to it.

MM opening up to lawyers suggests to me that he finally found a safe space to speak about everything without Phils influence

Yes I hope so poor lad Groomed and then discarded by PS around the time of the 2020 awards. I had assumed MM was still influenced by PS.

What are you on about you weirdo?

’this is a witch hunt. He’s lost his career, what more do people want?’ sounds like it came up in the crisis comms team brainstorming too.

Because, depending on what exactly has been going on, just ‘losing his career’ may be extremely mild.

It is fascinating that a man accused of grooming teenage boys is being defended on this basis.

I’m almost tempted to make a Phillip Schofield excuses and deflection bingo card.

its amazing because I genuinely do not give a fuck about ITV daytime tv celebrities. But I do care about safeguarding failures in the media and abuse of power to groom young people.

and it turns out that the PR machinery affect on this stuff is fascinating. Especially when other people pick up their leave poor Phil alone/what about x, y, z narratives and embrace them as their own.

Do you care about the young person that was groomed though? Do you think it is fair that his name has been everywhere for years connected to these allegations? Do you think it is fair that people have raked through social media, made up timelines and stories about what happened to him? That people are drooling and speculating all over the internet about his life?

My teenager was abused and they would hate for the whole world to know, to have people using them as salacious gossip without their consent. I think the no fucks given attitude towards this young man and his privacy is absolutely appalling. Until he speaks out and says that he wants it discussed, that he wants to press charges, that he wants whatever then people should back the fuck off. Not for PS but for him.

I agree. I am always shocked when I look at UK media and see all this hysteria, most of which I was totally unaware of. Even on MN, thread after thread after thread. So many of you seem to thrive on drama.

@IncomingTraffic didn't mention the person involved here once – they talked about the wider implications in terms of misuse of power and safeguarding failures in the media

And is also responding to the posters who feel PS should be ‘left alone’.

I totally hear what you’re saying, and am sorry to hear about your own experience.

I do think that it’s right and to be expected that people will be disturbed and concerned about this though, and there will be a public conversation around it. I agree that the person’s name should be kept out if it (unless or until they decide themselves to speak publicly)

I hold Schofield responsible for this harm too.

In fact, I think the ‘don’t talk about schofield’s predatory behaviour because his victim deserve privacy’ angle on things is a particularly interesting deflection. Schofield brought him into the spotlight.

Admittedly, I may be the only person on the internet who actually doesn’t know who this young man is - beyond some initials people use on threads. Because I am actually not interested in interrogating any of that.

I think the focus should remain on Schofield’s actions.

I can't speak for everyone but many victims feel safer at different times to disclose abuse.
I have suffered at the hands of paedophilia and I am only just, in my 30s feeling able to tell people.
Some people never, ever tell and hold it within themselves for either whole of their lives.
Feeling ashamed and dirty and as if we caused it is very common so don't assume that we tell when it happens.

A not very rare example of the ‘don’t you ghouls have lives’ entry on the bingo card there.

Are they back after the bedtime routine?

Yes a TM PR bingo list should be made?

Anyone any good at making gifs?

To be clear, I do care about the victim here. I think he matters.

But one of the really terrible things about this kind of abuse of power in the media stuff is that the abusers do put their victims in the spotlight. It’s another layer to the harm.

The safeguarding failures that led to this situation do need to be uncovered and corrected.

Sadly, because of who Schofield is and the way he’s used access to a media career to groom, his victim just won’t get the kind of privacy he deserves. As I said, I’m really not interested in digging around in who the victim is.

But we do need to remember that Schofield is paying people a lot of money to find ways to deflect attention. Making people feel bad about discussing schofield’s behaviour is high up their priority list. Let’s not pretend they won’t try to use people caring about the victim to help with that.

It’s the ‘people in other countries don’t do this stuff you know. British people and our grubby media should be ashamed’ variant of that entry.

There are several variants. That post does manage to squeeze in a Jeremy Kyle reference too, to make people feel grubby too.

For some reason we are supposed to feel bad that the DM is getting clicks 🙄😁

I am not an influencer selling my children, things like clicks don't feature in my life!

I read earlier that MM told Mishcon de Reya - instructed by Schofield - everything. Which left PS in the inglorious position of being exposed for misleading everyone, including his own legal representatives. I also wonder if that is “enough” for the agent to drop him with such haste. Suspect more will be in the press from tomorrow.

What's his name??

How about this?

Man, 29, meets girl, 16. Massive power difference. He is very powerful, her, not so much.

four years later, he married her, but when asked if he loves her replied "whatever love is".
I wouldn't defend Schofield at all, but there is a very similar case much more visible to the public eye which has rarely been commented on.

No idea. And it shouldn’t really matter.

the name that matters here is Phillip Schofield.

Ah a whataboutery variant on the bingo card. Lovely.

Look, here’s another example of shitty behaviour. Stop focusing on Schofield. Look a squirrel.

The man who crashed his car into No 10 a few days ago and was found to have CSA images, hasn't been named.

I think we can find another name for this.

Let's all submit some - This morning, staff grooming/safeguarding fail?

Ok keep PS.

Good grief, you’ve actually just played the ‘victims don’t matter’ hand.

So when Jess Phillips reads out in parliament the names of all the women who’ve been murdered by a man or men, their names don’t matter? She’s wasting her time, is she?

Fucking hell.