Well here we are again. Police are reporting now that they were ordered to discontinue investigation into activities by Cyril Smith, and threatened with prosecution under the official secrets act if they disclosed anything. The metropolitan police has referred itself to the official police complaints organisation to investigate the matter. ( and several public complaints related to activities by other politicians).
This related to matters in the early eighties.
The proposed public investigation into child abuse, including the involvement of senior politicians, had been stymied for some time until recently, perhaps coincidentally until after the recent death of conservative politicians Leon Brittan. He had already been named as someone who was in office as home secretary, 11 June 1983 – 2 September 1985, and as a more junior home office minister from May 79 to Jan 81, at a time when some of this was happening. Presumably the home secretary is exactly the person who would have to authorise ordering police to discontinue investigations. If that is what happened, then it would explain why the authorities made such a fuss over finding someone to run this enquiry and thus delayed it for years.
After this, brittan spent 5 months as trade secretary before having to resign over leaking documents to try to encourage the sale of westland helicopters to the US sikorski rather than a european concern. In 1986 he was accused of having issued illegal wire taps of CND leaders, but was cleared. The case turned on where the proper limits of grounds for such a tap might end.
In 1989 he resigned as an MP and made a career as a European commissioner for the next ten years. This is not usually considered a good career move by UK politicians. At the time it seemed odd, and right now looks to me more like he wanted out from westminster. This might go some way to explaining that career change.
Newsnight report that Cyril Smith was filmed visiting premises in Lambeth, just across the river from the houses of parliament, also visited by lots of boys and believed to be used for sex. In fact, the report says that child abuse was filmed. Smith seems to be named because of other information about him, and of course because he is dead. Other important people seem to have been involved.
It seems likely that other officers will still be alive who know about this, but then there is this problem of being arrested under the official secrets act if they tell anyone.
It would seem that these people are seeking public assurances from the government that they will not face prosecution if they now give evidence about what they know.
BBC iPlayer - Newsnight - 16/03/2015
But playback was remarkably slow. Maybe security services are blocking it?
Oh, and people are concerned the official investigation of the metropolitan police is in fact being done by their own investigation department.
You know, this story has come all the way round and returned to where it began. Conservatives overreacting to prevent public knowledge of paedophile allegations. Who knows why mcAlpine was so upset. It might have been because he was aware there was far more in this general area which could come out and he wished to prevent it. It might be he was personally incensed because he had in the past opposed coverup, and now was accused when he had tried to prevent it.
