Turning a blind eye to a sexual predator

THE FRIDAY THING: WELL, how’s about that then? Jimmy Savile was more than just a big cigar, dyed blond hair, a false laugh and a tracksuit (which he apparently had some trouble keeping on).

Long since gone to the “Top of the Pops” studio in the sky, the eccentric Savile apparently spent most of his time fondling, abusing, touching and, in some cases raping, young girls and women.

And it wasn’t a faux gold medal that was up for grabs by unsuspecting youngsters but, in some cases, a sexually transmitted disease or an abortion and, as a consequence, traumatised years to survive.

Did the BBC know? It is difficult to believe no one involved in “Top of the Pops” or even “Jim’ll Fix It” didn’t know. Unfortunately it seems that the gossip was reserved for the water cooler or the canteen rather than the police.

The millions who watched his TV or DJ performances thought he was a kindly, charity-loving eccentric and a character. And while he might well have been all of those things at various times, he was also a sexual predator who got away with it because those who knew better turned a blind eye.


ED Miliband had an excellent week at the Labour Party conference in Manchester, winning over the doubters in his own party and no doubt impressing a lot of those on the outside.
His 65-minute main speech to conference was a tour-de-force of memory, delivered without notes or an autocue and shone a light on a reforming dynamism that few in the Labour party, let alone in the country, thought he possessed.

It is of course easy making rousing speeches in opposition when you have the luxury of promising anything because you are not in power and not, therefore, in a position to deliver or disappoint and Ed took full advantage of that freedom to paint a picture of the UK under Labour as a many splendid thing in which all would live lives of bliss and harmony.

So far (from reality, I suspect) so good, but what about Ed’s promise to create a “One–Nation Britain”. Wasn’t that the biggest leap of faith and imagination of any undertaken at the conference?

How, for instance are Ed and his colleagues going to eradicate the glaring inconsistencies in lives and lifestyles, in wealth and health between the North and South (especially South-East) of Britain?

To create a one-nation Britain is a laudable ambition and one to which all politicians, trade unionists, faiths, communities, individuals and generations should subscribe, but we are such a long way off being one and, I feel, are moving ever further apart.

So much so that with the gaps between us in terms of health, wealth, education and the other pillars that hold up our society (teetering and tottering though they are at present) it is more a pipe dream than a policy.

Still, chubby Dave and the lot that actually are in charge (or supposed to be) next. I bet that you, like me, can hardly wait!


THERE has probably been some comfort for Oldham folk that the excellent Accident and Emergency department at the Royal Oldham Hospital is not one of the many across the region and the country that is to face the axe.
The consequences of losing an A and E department can be disastrous for some. The latest research suggests that patient deaths increase 20 per cent for every 10 miles they have to travel.

That should not be a worry for Oldham patients but there is a significant downside for the borough in the A and E closures.

With no A and E department of their own, injured and sick people who live in surrounding areas will be brought to Oldham, inevitably leading to bigger queues and longer waits.

Does this sound selfish? Of course it does but life and death situations are the feeding fodder of selfishness.

Bear in mind that A and E units are not closing because they are short of funds. They are being closed to save money as part of the strategy of cutting costs which already has millions of victims in just about every walk of life, except perhaps politics and the wealthy.



FINAL WORD: At last I find I have something in common with Abu Hamza, the visitor from hell who has plainly overstayed his welcome, assuming he ever was welcome.
Hamza is sick: sick of being in prison because he says he can’t sleep, and I am sick of seeing his ghastly face and of paying towards keeping him here for the best part of a decade. If I was a pilot, I would fly him home myself. He wouldn’t get a parachute though.


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