As a man in my mid 40’s that still doesn’t really know what I want to be when I grow up, I wouldn't readily describe myself as having a career. Yes, I’ve always had a job, apart from a short few months in my early 20s when I chose to drink for a few weeks instead of job hunting. Next year will be my 30^th year being employed. In those 3 decades I have been a post man, a bar man, a car cleaner a philosopher and a manager. In none of those roles have I suspected any of my colleagues or managers of being a child sex offender. Maybe I’m lucky.

Imagine the soul searching one must have to do when considering whether it is worth ruining your blossoming career prospects to report someone in a position of authority or trust for doing the most cowardly and vile thing possible, hurting a defenceless child for some sick self-gratification. I suppose if I was a BBC tea lady or errand boy, hoping for a shot at the lime light in twenty years- time I would spend many a sleepless night pondering "what if the bosses don’t believe me and give that position to my friend". If I had chosen to be a police officer, one of the highest positions of trust in the world, rather than deciding to pound the streets with a massive bag of gas bills and giros on my back, I would have faced the decision to turn a blind eye or prosecute a high profile well known politician after receiving over 20 complaints against him.

It could be that I’m lucky to not have had to face those decisions but I can easily put myself in their shoes and say unequivocally that if I suspected anyone, no matter how high in any organisation they were, of crimes against children, I would have thrown my career away in a second. No golden hand shake or carriage clock and hefty pension would help me sleep at night or look in the mirror, or at my own children, knowing I had stood by and let that happen to someone else’s children.

This week it was revealed by an independent enquiry that the police and prosecution services missed three chances to prosecute former Labour peer Lord Janner.

The enquiry found that there was sufficient evidence to provide a real prospect of conviction in 1991, 2002,  and again in 2007 for indecent assault and serious sexual assault. In 2002 the police failed to provide evidence to prosecution services, which resulted in no case being brought against the late peer.

The enquiry also revealed there was enough evidence in 2007 to search his home and arrest him. His family of course deny all the accusations against Janner, who died in December last year. They would, wouldn’t they?

By the time the investigation was ready to be brought to trial Janner was suffering from Dementia and was unfit to stand trial. The trial of facts which was to be held prior to his death has now been shelved.

Alison Saunders, Director of public prosecutions said “The enquiry’s findings that mistakes were made confirms my view that failings in the past by prosecutors and Police meant that proceedings were not brought”.

Mistakes? Is it a mistake that people made a conscious decision not to tell of their suspicions and people explicitly employed to bring despicable criminals to court decided that it was in the best interest of everyone to allow the accused to go unpunished? Is it a mistake that police failed to investigate claims that a 14 year old child had shared a hotel room with a rich and powerful man, despite it being relatively easy to prove or indeed disprove? Was it a mistake that they failed to ask the right questions at the care home where the alleged victim lived? Liz Dux, the solicitor who represented 8 of the alleged victims was absolutely right when she said that sincere regret was of little consolation.

A spokesman for the children’s charity NSPCC said “it is vital that victims of child abuse have the confidence to speak out knowing their allegations will be investigated”. If I was a victim I would not be in the slightest bit confident that my allegations would be investigated after a series of high profile names were revealed to have been suspected of crimes only after it was too late to be brought to trial.

Janner, a former QC and member of parliament was given a lucrative role as a peer despite the earlier accusations against him.

There has been a string of allegations brought to light in recent years accusing politicians and TV personalities of some terrible crimes, many of which were apparently widely rumoured for years.

Anyone who purposely hides or withholds information about crimes of abuse, particularly against children ought to be dealt with strongly. It is weak, cowardly and selfish to worry about your own career or financial security when lives are in danger. Abuse isn’t harmless. It ruins lives. It doesn’t only ruin the lives of the victims but that of victims’ families, and it never goes away. Every time a new name is produced and a new allegation surfaces many of the victims are forced to relive the torture of their own experience. I would welcome naming and shaming at least – if not prosecution for those who protect abusers.

On Tuesday night Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn began his first shadow cabinet reshuffle. Prime Minister David Cameron has had several and it was almost inevitable that Corbyn would do the same, but the right wing media have been whipped into a frenzy in recent weeks, labelling it a revenge reshuffle. The same media outlets of course have been printing pages of hype about the lack of unity in the Labour party so the biggest surprise was possibly the fact that Corbyn only moved two people.

Barnsley MP, Michael Dugher was sacked, supposedly for being disloyal which came as little surprise to anyone- probably including Dugher. He has been very vocal in his opposition to his party leader and was particularly defiant over Syria.

He wasn’t alone in that defiance of course and the highest profile victim of the reshuffle was thought to be Hilary Benn, who many are tipping to replace Corbyn as leader following his impressive, impassioned speech during the Syria debate. Benn though survived the reshuffle amid more claims that he has been muzzled in exchange for keeping his place at the table. Benn of course denies this. Anyone who has followed politics even in passing will know that no elected MP would admit to such a muzzling whether it be the case or not.

The anti-Labour, anti-Corbyn dialogue has continued since his election with bias of the BBC and several newspapers becoming increasingly frustrating for many critics.

Such is the bias and get-Labour agenda that the BBC, afraid to upset David Cameron and his friends under threat of losing the licence fee, desperately sunk to new lows on Wednesday by persuading a shadow minister to quit his role in the shadow cabinet live on the beeb’s flagship politics show The Daily Politics.

BBC political editor, Laura Kuenssberg and Andrew Neil were visibly excited and thrilled to have such a coop on the show. A blog on the BBC Academy site (which has since been removed) written by a producer of the show, described how the team led by Kuenssberg persuaded angry Stephen Doughty to resign live on air, referring to the conversation as sealing the deal.

Two other Labour MPs; Kevan Jones and Jonathan Reynolds, also resigned from the shadow cabinet, although they had the dignity to do so less publicly. Jones, a shadow defence minister, who came to prominence after talking about his personal experiences of depression, accused the party leadership of dishonesty. Jonathan Reynolds, a shadow transport minister who was one of the youngest MP’s elected in 2010 at just 29, quit his position on the front bench claiming he could best serve the party as a back bencher, and expressing his support for sacked Pat McFadden.

McFadden said he was sacked for comments he made following terrorist attacks in Paris, but shadow chancellor John McDonnell said McFadden was sacked for disloyalty and undermining the leaders view.

So much nonsense is printed these days about the party that it is difficult to decide what the truth is but there can be little doubt that claims the party is in disarray are  accurate. Corbyn very publicly gave his MPs a free vote on Syria and 9 of them chose to vote against his wishes. Benn was most loudly praised for his speech by most people, some of whom didn’t necessarily agree with the points he raised.

One of his most vocal critics Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk, has apparently come undone in recent days after inappropriate texts were sent to a 17 year old. Mr Danczuk, who has been in the Labour party since the 1980’s faces expulsion from the party after the teenager revealed the sleazy exchanges to The Sun. Before focusing his energy on attacking the leadership, Danczuk revealed he had suffered depression and alcohol abuse caused by his campaigning historical child sex abuse cases, predominantly alleged to involve former Liberal  MP Cyril Smith, which is widely credited as contributing greatly to an independent inquiry into CSA.

 

I’m not defending Mr Danczuc’s recent actions – attacking the leader of the party that you have a member of for almost 30 years is never going to help the party, the electorate or the leader. His position is one of great responsibility and as such he should not be engaging in such conversations with teenagers, however it does seem convenient that the details of these private texts fell into the grubby hands of Rupert Murdoch.

The BBC and its editor should remember that the job of a journalist is to report the news not make the news. They should offer fair and unbiased commentary that allows the viewer to make an informed opinion on matters that are important. Successive governments have failed to halt Murdoch’s power instead courting his approval and friendship, whoring their true values in exchange for a few inches of positive press. The Shambles in which we now find ourselves will not be resolved until the journalists and the presenters stop giving us fiction and opinion and start dealing in facts.