Philip Schofield and the protection of powerful paedophiles
Yesterday, when Phillip Schofield showed the Prime Minister a note containing the names of alleged politician paeodophiles who have been named on Twitter, little did he realise what he’d set in motion.
Amongst the names was that of Lord McAlpine who also appears on the website of the former BBC sports presenter David Icke along with a former MP who is now a television presenter and a number of others. The same site contains references to an MP who died in a house fire in Hampshire in 2000 and all manner of other suggestions.
Steve Messham, the victim who appeared on Newsnight to state that he’d been sexually abused in a Welsh children’s home by a “prominent Conservative” last week, has now come forward to state that McAlpine was not his attacker. Separately, the peer has given a detailed rebuttal and threatened to sue those who have accused him.
We all know that David Icke is a bit of a wildcard and that his views about aliens are just ludicrous but one has to think of smoke and fire. If even one of those Icke accuses is guilty, any investigation would be worthwhile. Whoever they may be, powerful paedophiles should not be protected and equally, however wild their views, those with relevant information should not be censored.
Sadly, following the error in Mr Messham’s story, it will become even more difficult for victims of abuse to get a hearing and to be believed. Newsnight’s sins of omission will hurt the very people they were seeking to champion.
“Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.”
-Frederick Nietsche-