The Curse of Danczuk’s Book

by Les May

JUST how thorough is the ongoing Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse going to be?  Press reports, which we must assume follow what was said at the Inquiry, refer to Rochdale Alternative Press. This is a mistake lifted straight from Simon Danczuk’s book where neither he, nor his co-author, Matthew Baker, could be bothered to check that the correct title was Rochdale's Alternative Paper (RAP). If anyone at the Inquiry is relying on this book then we shall still be as much in the dark about what really happened at Cambridge House and Knowl View as we were before the inquiry started

The purpose of this Inquiry should be to determine the facts.  That does not appear to be what is happening. The lead counsel, Brian Altman QC, seems to be trying to tell a story worthy of someone acting for the prosecution in a criminal case. We are told Smith’s knighthood ‘conferred a veneer of respectability and power’ and that this afforded influence over child welfare cases at Rochdale council.

This may or may not prove to be the case. Judging by the infamous, but fictional, ‘Satanic Abuse’ cases from 1989, RMBC child welfare workers were entirely capable of making a mess of things on their own.  But could we please have the facts and save opinions until after the evidence for this statement has been produced?   However often they are repeated opinions and assertions aren’t facts.

Opinion, supposition and an urge to ‘tell a good story’ have bedevilled almost everything that has been written about Smith, Cambridge House and Knowl View special school since Danczuk was ‘handed the story on a plate’ in 2012.

The essay in which in which Manchester Guardian editor C. P. Scott wrote the words ‘Comment is free, but facts are sacred’ is still worth reading today.  Pity about that unfortunate lapse in 1979 when like the rest of the press it ignored the RAP article.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2002/nov/29/1

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