Why the Child Abuse Inquiry is an Election Issue

In my election literature I promise that I will do everything possible to root out the corruption at the heart of Westminster that protects VIP child abusers from justice, and protects super-rich tax evaders.

Usually corruption is seen as abuse of public office for private monetary gain, but child abuse by
VIPs is a form of corruption, using position for personal sexual gain.

I made a start on financial corruption recently. 

Now, let us look at the corruption that protects VIP child abusers from justice. 

Note the present tense. It has been suggested that I should put it in the past tense, as if it is all "historical" and over with. This is not a safe assumption. Active child abuse by VIPs may or may not have stopped or been reduced by the active safeguarding measures now in place, but we can be sure that the Establishment will do all it can to prevent its own VIP child abusers facing justice; it will try to keep the truth hidden until the perpetrators are dead. Savile and Cyril Smith are two examples of this process.  Peter McKelvie, a retired child protection officer, believes that there are 10 or more VIP abusers still alive, one or two still in office.

Labour, LibDems and Conservatives all have suspects in their ranks. Therefore they very much want to sell the line that there is now an Inquiry into historical child abuse up and running - with a Chair in place even - and we should leave the Inquiry to get on with its job. LibLabCon do not want child abuse by VIPs to be an election issue.

It is an election issue. Our democratic state is being captured by powerful vested interests, - corporations, media, politicians, police, secret services and abusers all have their reasons to hide various embarrassing truths - and Greens are going to challenge this, to show that we are opposed to a rotten Establishment, we are not just going through the motions of a political pretence, a sham election that will deliver business as usual.

It is also a political issue because there are two very specific policy changes that make the Inquiry itself an election issue.

First, the investigating officers in Fernbridge, Fairbank and the other inquiries that are taking place find that some of their witnesses - police and civil servants - are unable to share information because they have signed the Official Secrets Act (OSA). They want to tell the investigators what they know, but they could be in breach of the Act if they do.
Therefore the Government needs to issue a derogation to release these witnesses from the OSA.

Second,  the police need power and support to direct their inquiries to finding the powerful figures who caused the 60 incidents of cover-ups.

The police have a massive and stressful job to do if they have to move from the available evidence to the low level perpetrators - boys' home workers and others.

Paradoxically, their work is relatively simple if they are allowed to work their way up to the high level perpetrators and their allies.

Detective investigators could fairly easily identify the senior policemen and senior managers who set up the culture of denial and obfuscation.

Identification of these VIP abusers and their friends is not technically difficult.

It just requires the detective to ask these questions of a front line worker,
"Who gave the order that this abuse story was to be set aside and ignored?"
"Who did you hand the lost file to?"and even simply "Who was your superior officer?"
The detectives can then move up the chain of command until they find the source of the order.

This process is simple and effective. The problem is not complexity; the problem is political and psychological. It means that junior officers will be closing in on their own superiors - or their own superiors' recent predecessors. In doing this, juniors will need courage, integrity, and support. The support will have to come from politicians, journalists and social media, who similarly will need courage and integrity.

This is why the Inquiry is an election issue. If Green candidates - and candidates from other parties who care about integrity and justice - raise these two questions, we bring about change and make sure that the Inquiry is effective.

There are ten other slightly less salient policy changes that are required.

If we are to tackle the infection of child abuse in the body politic of our nation, it is imperative that we identify and remove from office the powerful child abusers and their friends who are able to pull strings from their positions of power.