Cyril Smith

[Wannabestepfordwife]

Apologies that I can't link but the DM have been running a series on Cyril Smith and I was wondering if anyone else had seen it.

I'm absolutely shocked that he was allowed to abuse so many boys and that so many people colluded in covering it up.

I really think there needs to be an independent investigation into who helped cover his actions up and those involved need to be prosecuted.

We didn't use to assign guilt on the back of vague rumours
this is way way more than a 'vague rumour'

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2630951/Scarred-life-boarding-school-sadists-How-A-N-Wilson-deluged-similar-horror-stories-revealing-abuse-hands-paedophile-head.html

In the early 1970s the Liberal party was probably more concerned with the allegations that the then party leader had conducted a (then still illegal) homosexual affair with a stable hand, and had conspired to murder him. The public was probably more outraged that the hired gunman had shot the alleged lover's Great Dane, Rinka, than the issues of sexual offences.

Cold case detectives are probing the murder of a council official who vowed to expose a paedophile ring allegedly linked to a future minister in Tony Blair’s government.

Thank you for all the links cfskate

That article is shocking but I completely believe it could have happend- I just hope the family get some justice/closure.

I find the governments silence on this unsettling- how deep does child abuse go in the establishment?

www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jul/02/lord-brittan-1980s-dossier-sex-abuse-claims

Absolutely shocking the politicians of the time really do seem to have collective amnesia!

On Newsnight now

Simon Danczuk, a very good Labour MP, doing a great jon over this says

"The public will be astonished" that the dossier has gone missing.
But sadly, they won't, they almost expect it now after Savile and all the rest.

great job not jon

My IL's were friends with Geoffrey Dickens back when he was our MP and according to DH the rumour is that he left a copy of the dossier safely as he was 'warned off' at the time. Just rumours but you never know.
Have to admit Claig, I'm not a natural Labour supporter but Simon Danczuk is doing a good job on this one.

Yes, he is doing a great job. Real Labour, Old Labour.

Wasn't impressed with Labour's Meg Munn on Newsnight last night. As far as I understood it, she wasn't in favour of an overarching inquiry into historic child sex abuse, she said we should concentrate on what is happening now. But can't we do both?

Yes, you would think that there would be a back-up copy of the original.

I'm in agreement I'm not a labour voter/fan but I would vote for Simon Danczuk.

I'd never heard of Geoffrey Dickens before but I've now got an incredible amount of respect for him. I just hope he does have a dossier somewhere.

I don't understand how anyone could say there doesn't need to be an enquiry

I will be voting for him
Having a read about it and apparently Geoff Dickens was burgled shortly after he handed the dossier to Britten. Threats were also quietly issued apparently. Because of the size of GD's constituency (2 small towns a few miles apart) the rumour mill is quite quick and it really is all rumours but his wife was left a copy - apparently since destroyed according to Google.
Too many apparently's in the whole thing but it stinks from top to bottom. Simon Danczuk needs to watch his back in the run up to the election I think.

idontseeanyicegiants I think this is the first (and last) occasion where I'm jealous of someone voting labour.

I think Danczuk has made himself too well known for investigating and the press/public appear to support him so I don't think anything untoward can happen to him.

Reading the reports of GD has restored my faith in people of the time- it obviously wasn't seen as just one of those things. I just hope his widow was not harassed.

I'm a royalist but if evidence does show links between the royal family and a paedophile ring I don't think they could survive it- I know I would become a republican