Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

From No 10 to you, by Royal Mail !

12 July 2014

Abuse inquiry: Baroness Butler-Sloss criticism rejected

The Home Office has backed Baroness Butler-Sloss as the right person to lead an inquiry into allegations of historical child abuse, after claims about her over a previous review.

Phil Johnson, who was abused while a choirboy, claims she wanted to exclude some of his allegations in a bid to protect the Church of England.

He says she told him she "cared very much about the Church".

Baroness Butler-Sloss said she had never put institutions before victims.

The Rt Rev Peter Ball, who was bishop of Gloucester and bishop of Lewes in East Sussex, was charged with two counts of indecent assault and one of misconduct in a public office, following her investigation into abuse in the diocese of Chichester during the 1970s and 1980s.

A court heard in April that the 82-year-old retired bishop was too unwell to answer the allegations.

Mr Johnson's claims add to pressure on Baroness Butler-Sloss, who was appointed by Home Secretary Theresa May last week to head a review of how allegations of abuse linked to public institutions in the 1970s, 80s and 90s were handled.

'Distinguished career'
The former High Court judge has faced calls to step down because of her establishment links.

Her detractors point to her late brother, Sir Michael Havers, having been attorney general at the time of the alleged organised abuse that is the subject of her review.

Labour MP Simon Danczuk said her position was tainted because of the connection, while Alison Millar, the lawyer who represents alleged victims of child abuse, said she doubted her clients would think Lady Butler-Sloss was the right person for the job.

Keith Vaz, Labour chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee pointed out that while Lady Butler-Sloss was "distinguished", she was also a member of the House of Lords.

But the Home Office said it was backing her "unreservedly", adding that she was "beyond reproach".

"Baroness Butler-Sloss has had a long and distinguished career at the highest levels of this country's legal system," a spokesperson said.

"Her work leading the Cleveland child abuse inquiry and as president of the High Court's Family Division make her the perfect person to lead this important piece of work."

Phil Johnson
Phil Johnson was groomed and abused as a nine-year-old choirboy
Mr Johnson, who suffered assaults by a number clergymen when he was a choirboy in the Church of England Diocese in Chichester, said he felt during her review of Church abuse, Baroness Butler-Sloss had been "showing bias and wasn't being impartial".

At a meeting in her House of Lords office in 2011, Mr Johnson says: "She told me that she cared very much about the Church and seemed to be wanting to protect the Church's image."

'Negative publicity'
Mr Johnson alleges that Baroness Butler-Sloss had told him if she included the bishop's name in her report it would distract from the more serious abuse of two priests.

But he also said that she "didn't want to generate any excessive negative publicity for the Church".

"She expressed that by saying that 'the press would love a bishop' and she didn't want to give the press that trophy."

Baroness Butler-Sloss said: "Throughout many years of public service I have always striven to be fair and compassionate, mindful of the very real suffering of those who have been victims of crime or other injustice.

"I have never put the reputation of any institution, including the Church of England, above the pursuit of justice for victims."

Mr Johnson accepts she passed on his allegation against the bishop but says he felt he had little choice but to agree with her decision not to include it in her report.

Speaks volumes......Phil Johnson, who was abused while a choirboy, claims she wanted to exclude some of his allegations in a bid to protect the Church of England.

He says she told him she "cared very much about the Church".

They need to get a replacement.

Aye, go for it gf. Fred mentioned you were an authority on choir boys. Wink wink

Well Chris I dont go troting around on golf courses with 13 year old boys looking for your balls......wink wink.

8 powerful reasons why Butler-Sloss cannot head the VIP child abuse inquiry

Here are 8 extremely compelling reasons why Baroness Butler-Sloss should stand down as head of the inquiry into allegations of child abuse by politicians and other powerful figures:

1) Child abuse survivors say Butler-Sloss is the wrong person for the job.

2) Prominent campaigners also say Butler-Sloss is the wrong person for the job.

3) Butler-Sloss would have to investigate her own brother who has been accused of covering up the identities of VIP paedophiles.

4) As a member of the House of Lords, Butler-Sloss is too much an entrenched part of the same establishment she would have to be investigating.

5) Butler-Sloss has herself been accused of trying to hide the identities of church leaders accused of child abuse.

6) Butler-Sloss has openly stated she believes leaders and heads of state should have “sovereign immunity” in the courts.

7) At 81, Butler-Sloss is simply too old to carry out a forceful, tenacious and effective investigation into powerful people who have very powerful connections and who will assuredly fight tooth and nail against any suggestions of wrong-doing on their part.

And the most undoubtedly incontestable reason Butler-Sloss cannot possibly be the right person for the job……

8) Michael Gove thinks she is.

.

Related articles by Tom Pride:

How Duncan Smith’s departure would help Osborne
Posted on July 11, 2014 by thelovelywibblywobblyoldlady
Reposted from the New Statesman



Iain Duncan Smith arrives in Downing Street on September 5, 2012. Photograph: Getty Images.
Is Iain Duncan Smith set to resign his post in next Monday’s reshuffle? Westminster has been abuzz with speculation all day after a commuter wrote on Facebook that she overheard a “20 something brunette, with a very posh voice” remark on a train to London that “someone called Ian [sic] is leaving the DWP (apparently he wants to go and has agreed to go).” Rumour links Duncan Smith with a move to Defence as part of what the BBC’s James Lansdale reports will be a “far wider reshuffle” than initially thought.

It’s worth recalling that the Work and Pensions Secretary previously turned down the offer of Justice in the 2012 reshuffle in order to “see through” the reforms he had started (albeit with little success since). One person who pushed for his departure then was George Osborne. As Matthew d’Ancona’sIn It Together revealed, the Chancellor believes that Duncan Smith is “just not clever enough”. He has long been sceptical of his grand plan to transform the welfare system, Universal Credit (involving the merger of six benefits into one), fearing that the costs will outweigh any gains (hence why the Treasury still hasn’t signed off the business case for it). To date, the DWP has written off £40.1m of assets developed for the programme and expects to write down a further £91m by March 2018, prompting the National Audit Office to warn that it has has “not achieved value for money”.

The pair previously clashed over Osborne’s announcement at the 2010 Conservative conference that child benefit would be removed from high-earners, which Duncan Smith was not briefed on in advance and which he regarded as a punitive raid on families.

Further disagreement has come over post-2015 welfare cuts. While Osborne is committed to achieving £12.5bn of savings through further reductions to working-age benefits (in addition to the £21.5bn already announced), Duncan Smith believes that “you can’t keep hacking at the same people” and that wealthy pensioners cannot remain exempt from austerity. He would like to see universal payments such as the Winter Fuel Allowance, free TV licences and free bus passes means-tested in order to achieve a more “balanced” approach. But dismissing the prospect of cuts, Osborne has stated that pensioner benefits are “not where you need to make the substantial savings required”. Another consideration is the electoral importance of the over-65s (the age group most likely to vote) and the risk that a raid on their benefits would allow Ukip to outflank the Tories by promising to safeguard all payments.

Ahead of negotiations over the Conservative manifesto, then, the departure of Duncan Smith from the DWP, and his replacement with a more compliant figure, would help Osborne to secure the welfare policies he wants.

I hope the rumour is true.......good riddance mass murderer.

Where is Nick and Ed on this Butler-Sloss thingy?


Why are HM's opposition so quiet, could it be that they are part of the cover up??



edit: when is the kommitee to report it's findings?

The opposition are quiotehappy with Butler. She looks like a good choice.

Think milli is in favour of slosh. Not sure on Nick.

Iknow vast majority of labour dont want slosh.

12 weeks it takes i think.

Should be well timed for GE.

Hays no they arent, its just Milli.

How can she be the right person.........

5) Butler-Sloss has herself been accused of trying to hide the identities of church leaders accused of child abuse.

No doubt the clergy will be involved again.........sat in the lords.

As you say 'accused'. Not the same as that she did do that.

It may, or not be a stitch up with Sloss, but the it opens the enquiry and findings to scepticism.

The problem is the pool of judges has a large number who are, or is part of the establishments itself.

Also, looking back at that period there was a pattern of odd behaviours and networks of Old Etonians.

Also, I think it was the 70s, 80s and 90s, that it was revealed the amount Politicians, Old Etonians, Mason, Police and Judiciary mixed on regular basis at the various lodge.

Having the ear of the Chief constable etc. was common practice.

~The relationships although partially exposed were swept back under the carpet.

By which government and is that being attempted again.

But those living in No 10 and 11 must be used to the stench by now!

I wonder if they have finished writing the enquiry's findings yet?

8-)


Hairy one and hazy one are composing the music for it!

What a period of political incompetents!

Even the tory grandees must be turning in the graves!



Forgot they has fags to do that for them!

Just watched again House of Cards the Drama channel.

Seems a beautiful portrayal of the present tory leadership, although written in the Post Maggie period of the 90s.


Seems timely to run it again now!