A report by the West Yorkshire police force states that they are now 'in a totally different place' regarding the collation, assimilation and sharing of information accumulated over the years with regard to Jimmy Saville, and although they read his autobiography in which he said that he spent the night with an absconder from a young offender's institution, they could find no evidence to prove that this was true, so took no action.
In the same news bulletin, the Archbishop of York (I think) said that he followed all the correct procedures of the time when internally investigating allegations of the sexual abuse by a (now deceased) Dean against two boys under his tuition, way back in the 1970s. No action was taken because the Dean was deemed too ill to ever be a danger to children again.
Also on the same BBC network, the key players (that we know of) of the scandal surrounding the Kelly suicide over the assertion that Iraq was amassing weapons of mass destruction have been brought together to celebrate the anniversary of the event. It is an icy little meeting, though heated by strong feelings on both sides.
There is one blindingly obvious factor in all these seemingly disparate historical events and the way they were handled - or not - and that explains the sudden change of climate and attitude which has been promised by various organisations when faced with similar scandals in the future.
The Police, the Church, the Military and the BBC have always - as they should - looked after their own, but this culture of self-protection in the face of 'external' attack has lead to countless, vulnerable people who are just the sort that these institutions were set up to protect, being let-down and left to fend for themselves with no support whatsoever.
There is a sort of national guilt hanging over the British 'establishment' (the Church and the State) right now, but I have my doubts as to whether any good that will come of this particular 'ill wind' will have any effect on the activities of the ones that would dearly like to see themselves as their puppeteers.
Not much humour in this post, but there are some things which take longer than others to be able to laugh about.
I agree 100%. The amount of times we've all heard "we shall be changing our procedures" or "more extensive vetting will be done in future" etc. And nothing changes.
ReplyDeleteThe police - not being too sensitive about my choice of words, but not wishing to be insulting - have never been all that bright. Neither have Christians, and neither have the Royal Family. The brightest buttons in the box have always been (and will probably always be) the business 'community', but they have not always been known for their altruism, especially when flogging planes and tanks to the Middle East.
DeleteThings will only change when WHAT IS RIGHT out weighs CELEBRITY
DeleteIn Savile terms, I think you are right, but thems as pull the strings only become celebrities by accident - like when they are caught with their hands in the till.
DeleteSuccessful sexual deviants are - by necessity - extremely cunning. The best way of hiding is to parade around in the public. Nobody is interested in anything other than secrets, so if you are blatantly open, then you are more likely to be thought of as 'one of us', by like-minded people, I think. The USSR relied on just that during the Cold War.
I personally know at least one 'charity worker' who (though now in his late 80s) was well known for using his local celebrity for touching up boys of an indeterminate age. The police had a quiet word with him and he went into retirement.
Those who manage some mainstream celebrities are intent on stealing the childhood away from very young children, by selling an idea of sexuality that even adults don't relate to.
Power and perceived power is all about this sad subject tom
DeleteAmbition has something to do with it too, never mind what the ambitions are. I don't really believe in the modern concept of 'empowerment'. You always know who is installing the glass ceiling, and you have to agree to wear special shoes for Velcro floors to work. The abuse of trust is what this sad subject is all about.
DeleteYes.
ReplyDeleteIn Australia it was revealed last week during an enquiry, that the church had spent just under $1 million defending one of their paedophile priests. Compensation payments for victims in state care, in another case close to my home, has been capped at $45,000.
It is so stark - and in the end it boils down to power; who has it and who doesn't.
I really don't have any resentment and jealousy about people who hold more power than I do (living proof...), but if there is one thing I despise more than anything else, it is a bully who exerts low-level power over the weak and vulnerable. For fuck's sake, how can anyone POSSIBLY exploit weak and already damaged children simply to gratify their own sexual fantasies? What's wrong with a wank? I really do find (as do most people) the whole thing completely unfathomable, but what you do with these unbalanced and rare individuals is something beyond the rational bounds of civilised society, if such a thing exists.
DeleteOne of my blog friends told me it was well known about JS preference for very young girls. She told us, locals would say, you could remember there's only one L in Savile, because he's so vile.
ReplyDeleteYes, I stupidly responded to my spell-checker telling me that there are to Ls in Savile. The thing is that Sir Jimmy could not have operated without the protection of the authorities, as we all now know so well.
DeleteNo criticism of your spelling intended Tom, but it just reminded me of what she said and that locally he was well known for his behaviour, but as you say, a blind eye was turned.
Delete'We shall be changing our procedures...'
ReplyDeleteTo make it even more unlikely that legitimate complaints will get anywhere.
Well, I think that procedures will be changed, but it takes a massive kick up the arse before any change will take place. Ever since Sherlock Holmes, all the various Police Regions have been horribly protective about their sources, mainly thanks to government funding structures. There is a big difference between hitting targets and catching real criminals, as any motorist will tell you.
DeleteThis is by far the most simplistic comment you may receive. It is a big world with a lot of bad. There's a "neighborhood guilt" hanging heaving over a block of Cleveland where three young girls were rescued from ten years' captivity. But if anything could have been changed remains only a string of ifs. It comes down to keeping one's one place in the world as tidy as possible, attempting to be an influence for the better.
ReplyDeleteI agree Joanne, but in a society where a man - or woman - may not grab hold of a stranger's child to save it from harm, for fear of some sort of assault litigation, then it can be difficult to set an example. Personally, I ignore all these irrational fears of law-suits, and I am constantly telling young fathers and mothers how beautiful their children are - but only if they really are. I try to say the same thing to young adults too, but this often gets me into trouble!
DeleteI remember being on the streetcar with my grandmother who said sharply to a young woman with a wild child "Mother, look to your child!" All eyes on the streetcar drilled down, the mother shook the kid by the shoulder, he settled into snotty, sullen silence and life went on. That would never happen now.
DeleteI once grabbed hold of a young man at a street junction, because he had not noticed a low trailer behind a car, and was about to lose both his legs by walking into it. Through shock, he thought I was mugging him, and looked at me with horror and hatred. I wonder if he has ever thought of thanking me for my rough handling of him.
DeleteI also wrestled a drunk German man to the ground in the dark in Kiel, Germany, because I found him peering down the tube of a 6 inch mortar I had just fired up, When it went off, he just said, "Danke!"
In the reverse, I was followed across the road by a young girl child who I should have taken care of by escorting her, but didn't. She was hit by a car, but only got a broken leg. Later, her parents thanked me for looking after her whilst the ambulance arrived, but I felt entirely to blame. I thought they were going to hit me - which I deserved.
I liked Joanne's comment, because it shows that there is a place where we can act - our surroundings - when one feels hopeless looking at the big shots. Though when one tries civil courage one might soon find out that there is a very fine line in private life to be seen as helping - or as meddling. In Berlin we have cases where people showed civil courage and ended in hospital (or mortuary).
ReplyDeleteGood that nowadays people don't accept (wrong) authority as easily as before - on the other hand I have seen how often grown-up people feel flattered if someone 'famous' notices them, then the really change, especially those who get a tiny bit of power often behave very badly.
Sorry, but - due to the wind and the rain - my blogger has fucked itself up, so I will respond to you Britta, tomorrow. You may not believe this, but wind and rain fuck up the internet over here in Olde Englande.
ReplyDeleteI have got into difficult situations by trying to help in the streets too - the last time, someone said they would stab me. I'm still here!
Someone offered to sic his attack dog at me, in public, and the interested passengers hurried away... That is one example - now I think hard before I say/do something (not my utmost characteristic quality :-)
ReplyDeleteI find it hard to believe anyone would want to set their dog on you, Britta!
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