Paedophiles rule Westminster.

[Workingman]

If this is true then the police have to go in, they have to look at historical allegations, they have to act.

It is beginning to look as though this country has suffered, and is quite probably still suffering, cover-up after cover-up of sexual abuse in the highest of places.

We know that it was rife in the entertainment industry and that the BBC was involved, but where else did the tentacles spread and who enabled these people to operate? Harman, Jowell and Dromey have all been implicated in support of paedophiles - and are still in post. The Judiciary has members who are suspect and are still in post. What about the police, Civil Service, local councils, the media...... ?

[Rodo]

If by sexual abuse it is meant that true paedophiles have raped and sexually abused children and young people then yes it should be rooted out and stopped in the most forceful way possible.

However I am concerned that so very much of the so-called sexual abuse that is talked about is no more than someone brushing their hand over a woman's bottom or putting their hand a bit too far round when gathering together in a group so that the hand touches the side of the female's breast. Having begun my working life as a secretary many years ago this sort of thing was something that was almost quite normal and you quickly learnt how to deal with it.

I can't understand how some "victim" had some part of her body groped over her clothes and then declares that she has been traumatised for the next 40 years and driven to drink. This in my view is just ridiculous. If some dirty old man gropes you then you scream "Get off you dirty old bastard" and smack him across the face or kick him in the goolies. Then you forget about it and write it off as just one of those things.

Just my opinion.

[TheOstrich]

I think you make valid points, Rodo. As a society, we seem to have developed a sort of prissyness over the last 20 years or so. I'm not saying what people like Cyril Smith are alleged to have done is OK, (what I would term the determined paedophiles), but I'm minded of the Nigel Evans case where a bit of drunken groping becomes a national expression of media horror and outrage.

Interesting to note that Rolf Harris's victims are now making a determined play for money from his estate ....

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... paign=1490

[Suff]

I'm with Rodo on this.

We can't allow 2014 sensibilities and even laws to be retrospectively applied to decades past.

If true abuse has happened then it must be dealt with. But I do mean TRUE abuse. Which would have stood in a court of law at that time.

I must admit, reading that article, that I suspect the MP of career building. When MP's start talking about Hillsborough style investigations, alarm bells ring. If people have been abused by MP's then they should stand forward. It may be 30 years later, but they have a better chance of prosecution today than they did 30 years ago.

However this article suggests something very different. More like slinging mud and then waiting to see if others stand up and join in once the MP's are already smeared with dirt.

Hardly a confidence inspiring approach, no matter how much you hate the current crop of MP's. One of the reasons that Mrs S has told me that a career in politics is a divorce certainty.

[Aggers]

I agree with Rodo, too.

How many men can honestly say that they have never behaved inappropriately at some time?
When my wife and I fell in love at our place of work, we both did, I suppose. But that's life, isn't it ?

In any case, I see the duty of the police as being present-day law enforcement, not delving into the past.

[KateLMead]

Holly Hobbs I believe that was her surname, the little Down's syndrome girl in Scotland by used by a Paedophile gang. Big police coverup as those involved had positions in high places. The north country gang who groomed youngsters. from children's homes.
The school masters and teachers who sexually abuse young boys instilling the fear of God in them
I would castrate every one of them and put them in the slammer for a very long time. Google the names of MP's who have been caught out.
For those truly sexually abused as a child the memory never fades, and disgustingly it is often a family member who is the perpetrator

[KateLMead]

Holly Hobbs I believe that was her surname, the little Down's syndrome girl in Scotland by used by a Paedophile gang. Big police coverup as those involved had positions in high places. The north country gang who groomed youngsters. from children's homes.
The school masters and teachers who sexually abuse young boys instilling the fear of God in them
I would castrate every one of them and put them in the slammer for a very long time. Google the names of MP's who have been caught out.
For those truly sexually abused as a child the memory never fades, and disgustingly it is often a family member who is the perpetrator

Yes Westminster is in the news this morning.

[Weka]

I'm pleased others are of the same opinion. The true examples of abuse should be rooted out and dealt with. Cover ups should also be investigated, but, the casual "oops" should not be made into anything. I fear for the rich people that have cases bought against them as I wonder how much of it is about money grabbing. It was different in previous decades, life was different, and social norms were different. I also think there should be a time limit that a case can be brought, say 20 years. If it happened longer than that ago, then tough. Imagine if you did a stupid thing in your youth, it would be nice to have a time when that water under the bridge had well and truly passed.

It is a dangerous road to go down. There was a witch hunt here in the early 90's against men in child care centres and teaching. Far to many 'he said she saids' with no evidence being prosecuted. Men left the profession in droves. As one aquaitence told me a couple of weekends ago, "I couldn't give a hurt child a hug, nor could I hold children's hands in the playground for fear that I would be accused of something" so he left teaching. We now have very very very few males in that industry. It is very unfortunate as now a generation on men with no dads at home, are now also not seeing positive male role models at school either.

The RH case is interesting. The fact that it seems to have a lot of children involved is just not on, and yes that should be punished. Interesting that they aren't going to prosecute for the child pornography. I think they should. Anything against adults though, and I don't know the full details really, do sound a bit trumped up. Like rodo says, grow a backbone and move on. I don't like the word victim either. It gives the perpetrator the power and the other party left feeling like they should have issues with what happened, and therefore should behave in a certain way. In true abuse cases though, obviously, I feel rather different.

[Rodo]

You mention teaching Weka. When I began teaching in the 70s there didn't seem to be any problem, but by the time we had got to the 80s men were having to be careful to leave the door open and be in full view if they had to speak to a girl on her own. This was common practice by then for self-preservation. By the time it got to the late 90s then even women teachers had to remember to leave the door open if they wanted to speak to a child of either sex on their own.

[KateLMead]

[quote

It is a dangerous road to go down. There was a witch hunt here in the early 90's against men in child care centres and teaching. Far to many 'he said she saids' with no evidence being prosecuted. Men left the profession in droves. As one aquaitence told me a couple of weekends ago, "I couldn't give a hurt child a hug, nor could I hold children's hands in the playground for fear that I would be accused of something" so he left teaching. We now have very very very few males in that industry. It is very unfortunate as now a generation on men with no dads at home, are now also not seeing positive male role models at school either.

The RH case is interesting. The fact that it seems to have a lot of children involved is just not on, and yes that should be punished. Interesting that they aren't going to prosecute for the child pornography. I think they should. Anything against adults though, and I don't know the full details really, do sound a bit trumped up. Like rodo says, grow a backbone and move on. I don't like the word victim either. It gives the perpetrator the power and the other party left feeling like they should have issues with what happened, and therefore should behave in a certain way. In true abuse cases though, obviously, I feel rather different.[/quote]

I heartily agree Weka, too many idiots claim they were touched, hugged and tapped on the rear, in my opinion they shouldn't even be given space let alone claim compensation...I remember well when these stupid rules came in, one cannot comfort a distressed child in school and children's homes etc. in my days in children's homes we were shown little or no affection by staff anyway, today it is forbidden to touch a little one whether you are male or female whether they are distressed or not. Youngsters have always been easy prey, any one found to be abusing them should be chemically castrated and imprisoned for a very long time. It might be of interest to know that prisoners are allowed to order pornographic films to entertain them in their cells. Human Rights?