Knock-On Effect Of Jimmy Savile allegations
IT has been said the Northern men have too close a relationship with their mothers for their own good, and that was the interpretation put on the Jimmy Savile allegations that he had inappropriate relations with young girls, when, on Tuesday, I spoke to a lad I know from London who lived in Rochdale during the 1970s. 'I don't want to offer any kind of potted psychology,' he said, 'but both Jimmy Savile and Cyril Smith were larger-than-life men who had strange relationships with their mothers'.
Today, Mark Lawson, in a commentary entitled 'Exposure: The Other Side of Jimmy Savile-review' wrote in The Guardian: 'Savile would have considered a 23:10 ITV peak-time slot career death. But it seems almost certain to be the case that his status as a cherished television personality died there - posthumously - on Wednesday night, with the irony that one of the most talked-about shows of recent times had to be screened in this low-ratings zone because its stories about a children's TV presenter were so unsuitable for children.'
Jimmy Savile's home town was Leeds, and though it is thought to be unfair by some to try a dead man for paedophilia when he can't defend himself, his accusers argue that Savile was so powerful at the BBC that he could never have been brought to court during his lifetime. Last night's dossier by Williams-Thomas even suggests repeated assaults took place on BBC premises, which was enabled by the fact that Savile specialised in broadcast formats involving the young. The program, 'Jim'll Fix It' was a long-running British television show, broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1994. It was presented by Jimmy Savile and produced by Roger Ordish. When Saville was knighted, the accompanying book for the 1991 series of the comedy sketch show carried a statement that in future 'Jim'll Fix It' would be known as: Sir James will bring his influence to bear in arranging matters to your satisfaction.
It will not have been lost on some, that the Savile case has close resemblances to the allegations against Sir Cyril Smith, the former Rochdale MP, who died in September 2010, with regard to young boys in his care and one comment on a website runs as follows: 'Why? They didn't drag all the obvious scandal up when Cyril Smith died. It was all "what a top bloke" and none of the spanking-little-boys-taking-money-from-asbestos-factory-in-constituency.' Both Sir Cyril Smith and Jimmy Savile were larger than life Northern men, and great self publicists with massive egos and powerful friends; both seem to have been 'Mummies' Boys'.
On this Northern Voices' Blog it was noticeable that the posting entitled 'SEXUAL ABUSE: Cyril Smith's Family vs Private Eye', dated 19th, September 2010, got a sudden surge of page-views earlier this week; as did another more recent post entitled '"Pleb" Phenomena in Rochdale Sex Grooming'. Today, Mark Lawson claims that 'by midnight (last night), the reputation of a peak-time legend had already been convincingly devastated in - appropriately - what broadcasters call the graveyard slot.' The producers of last night's program, Williams-Thomas say that publicity for the film had caused other women to come forward.
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2 comments:
The Londoner refered to in my original post now writes:
'Fine. But would add that both of them [Jimmy & Cyril] took advantage of their public positions and abused the very disadvantaged youngsters whom they claimed to be championing, safe in the knowledge that nobody would believe the kids, hence doubly increasing the disadvantage the children suffered. Firstly, because of the abuse and secondly by the silencing, and further reducing the self esteem of vulnerable youngsters. Interesting, too, that two self righteous national institutions, the BBC and then Liberal Party knew of rumours and turned a blind eye. They then became prominent cheer leaders when the abusers were knighted. Establishment hypocrisy at its most blatant. Plus ca change!'
I don't know what was worse, the sexual abuse that was allegedly perpetrated by Saville or the wall of silence and the blind eye that was turned away from his vile deeds. One hospital nurse says she saw him abusing a disabled child on the wards but did nothing."What could I do?" she told a newspaper. "He was Jimmy Saville." Well, what she could have done, is to tell him to fucking stop it and then have reported him.
Even that stalwart of the female inquisition, Janet Street Porter, said that it was common knowledge within the BBC what Saville was up to, but despite her big gob, she said nothing.
It makes you wonder what is up with people in this country when they see this sort of thing going on and say nothing because they fear losing their jobs. This country isn't NAZI Germany yet and we don't have the Gestapo or concentration camps. This sort of thing makes you ashamed to be English.
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