re: Operation Yewtree
 

Yeah but there isn't any proof of that. There is proof of Savile's crimes due to the first-hand testimony of the accusers.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

You seem to be offering the fact that a certain event happened, as evidence for your explanation of why it happened, which if you don't mind my saying is a bit of a circular argument.

There is no evidence that George Entwistle knew what was being investigated. There *is* evidence that he avoided finding out what was being investigated. At present, the available evidence points in the opposite direction of "cover up".

re: Operation Yewtree
 

---------- Post added at 15:31 ---------- Previous post was at 15:27 ----------

[/COLOR]

He could have asked more questions but it's not really an issue that he didn't. The News Programming wasn't his department and he had no control over their output. He didn't have a decision to make other than to pull the tributes if the Newsnight documentary went ahead.[/QUOTE]

He had a duty to ask the question, and as senior member, to put any concerns higher.

He is a public servant, of a reasonably high grade in the BBC even at that time. More culpable than less senior members of staff. Not to ask the obvious says to me, he isn't fit for current job.

---------- Post added at 15:47 ---------- Previous post was at 15:46 ----------

If of course he didn't know..if we accept he didn't (stretching a bit here), he still should have asked the obvious. That is the credibility gap that most others have spotted.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Maybe not ,but lets see what the inquiries bring up ,personally i think that there will be a few people on gardening leave before this weeks out and after the police have investigated a bit further then a few arrests of current personalities ,there where a lot of DJ's on TOTP's in those days and some still with the beeb in some capacity .

---------- Post added at 15:53 ---------- Previous post was at 15:48 ----------

Which in turn points to him being incompetent .

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I agree that is difficult and I assume the lack of prosecution when the law is broken but the age is still quite close is a sensible compromise to deal with the difficulty and unfairness in setting such a hard line. It's illegal but the police are allowed some discretion to stop the courts and the sex offenders register dealing with people in relationships who suddenly find themselves breaking the law.

They can still be emotionally unprepared at 16, even 18. Maturity doesn't come about a set age. We put it at a set age to try and do our best to deal with it but that isn't perfect, some will be mature enough (whatever that is!) before that age and others after.

Accepting it's going to happen is just to deal with the possible health consequences, because it does happen. I mean would you want to get the law to deal with two teenagers at 15 having sex? It's just impractical imo.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

No. The suggestion is that he didn't want to know, as he wanted to avoid being seen as not respecting the editorial independence of Newsnight. This resulted in him doing (If I remember the phrase used correctly) 'the wrong thing for the right reasons'.

---------- Post added at 16:13 ---------- Previous post was at 16:04 ----------

It seems more likely to me that the line between acceptable and unacceptable is actually blurred and shaky and no amount of crying "it's the law, and it's there for a reason" is going to change that.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

To be honest if he had asked more questions that would have been used as evidence he sought to put pressure on them...

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I disagree.

He would have been doing his job. Editorial integrity does not mean wandering blissfully along. Though in BBC, perhaps that is the trait encouraged. :D

re: Operation Yewtree
 

It's not his job. He wasn't part of the news division. Why would it have been his job? He was told that he might have to pull his shows because of what Newsnight were doing, he couldn't influence or be seen to influence the show itself. He stayed back and awaited the outcome.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

His job, is working for the BBC. If he thought there was an issue, he should raise it. Whether it was wise to continue with the tribute, or anything else.

I would worry if everyone acted as you think. It would really be a scary world.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

You're right, in the sense that physical and emotional maturity differs from person to person and therefore what's manageable for one is not necessarily so for another. Laws that bar or permit activities by age are set with the aim of providing general protection but they are not effective if they are routinely undermined.

If they are routinely undermined, then you get people who think that copping off with a 14-year-old isn't all that serious - even if they don't do it themselves, they may fail to treat it as seriously as they should if they see it happening. Which is precisely what Mr Rippon is now alleged to have done.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

He's got a job description, and it does not include wasting his time prying into other department's affairs on the off-chance something might be amiss that needs reporting. That's the way it is in any organisation, and no amount of special pleading after the fact is going to change that.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

'Working for the BBC' isn't a job description. His job was 'Director of BBC Vision' 'responsible for the channels BBC One, BBC Two, BBC Three, BBC Four, BBC One HD and BBC HD, and the feature film-making arm of the BBC, BBC Films'. He was not responsible for news output. He did not seek to influence the news output to make his own job easier.

What did he do wrong?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

You seriously think that he had no responsibility to the BBC, and wider responsibility to the public?

And yes, working for the BBC is in the job description. Any senior member of any organisation has a duty...and that duty is increased when it is a public company.

i presume he was a "senior" member. Or is that the bit you dispute?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Yes, let's not worry about proof, STONE HIM!!!!!!

Incompetent in what regard?

---------- Post added at 17:00 ---------- Previous post was at 16:59 ----------

That's what I'm trying to work out.............ask martyh he knows.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

He did have a responsibility to the BBC and he did it. He focused on his department and, as he was obliged to do, did not interfere in Newsnight. Remember the reason this became an issue is the implication that he might have. Suddenly the fact he didn't is also bad? :confused:

What did he do wrong? What should he have done?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

It's not the BBC's,. or Stoke Mandevilles place to investigate rumours.

There were plenty of individuals that with apparant 1st hand knowledge that didn't do anything.

I believe the correct thing to do is call the police? not the BBC.

If, for example, Virgin Media accused me of being a paedophile at work, and then could not offer up any real evidence -then they would be looking at a large out of court settlemnt.

However, if enough peoplethat knew of the rumours and eye witnesses had gone to the police, there would have been enough evidence to warrant an investigation.

So it's not down to the BBC it's down to everybody that knew, trying to blame all of this on the BBC is smoke and mirrors and meat and drink to the lynch mob such as yourself

Good, I hope they find someone to talk to, I on the other hand don't want to hear it every day at 07:00, 18:00 and 10:00.

I don't see any evidence for any of that.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

seriously????:rolleyes:

A man in charge of programming doesn't ask why a planned news program may interfere with his Christmas schedule ,he didn't have the wit to ask what the program was about ,how did it concern Savile or why it would impact on the tribute show ,saying he was incompetent is being generous ,the only thing that would have been worse for him was if the newsnight program had gone ahead as planned alongside the tribute one

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I'm afraid I have to agree with this point of view up to a point.What I don't understand is why those who saw or had proof didn't say anything to the police. But investigation is for the police.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Of course it is ,that sort of thing happens every day and if the internal investigations reveal anything untoward then the police are informed

Of course it is ,if the culture exists within the BBC then it is down to the BBC (meaning, as you well know, the directors and trust to deal with)

then don't listen ,don't involve yourself in discussion and don't post crass inane comments ...simples

Yeah i had that opinion at the start of this thread but eventually given the amount of evidence out there it is obvious to even a cretin that something very bad was going on at institutions like the BBC ,stoke mandeville and some care homes ,so if you don't see any evidence of that then you are not looking

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Serously,

as someone who works in a large organisation where different departments can be working on the same thing but not communicate with each other, I can relate to it entirely.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Wrong ,criminal investigation is for the police ,any institution can instigate an investigation into one of it's employees .I'm sure you have seen plenty at schools you have worked in ,the BBC currently have 2 ongoing investigations into this afair and if anything criminal is uncovered then that is when the police get involved ,something the BBC should have done 30yrs ago

---------- Post added at 17:32 ---------- Previous post was at 17:28 ----------

well that answers the question, why doesn't VM work ?:rolleyes:

Nobody gives a damn if a private company is run by a group of imbeciles ,it simply goes under eventually ,but an organisation like the BBC that is public funded and sets itself up as a moral compass for society should do better than it appears they have been

re: Operation Yewtree
 

He would have had time to pull the show. He would have waited until it aired. The questions above wouldn't have made a difference and we don't know if he would have had those questions answered. The BBC News department isn't the servant of Entertainment division.

He would also have wanted to avoid any implication that he attempted to influence the editorial decisions at Newsnight. That really would have been bad for him. This is indeed what the BBC detractors were hoping for and what the BBC were scared of.

---------- Post added at 17:37 ---------- Previous post was at 17:33 ----------

The BBC is designed to ensure the integrity of it's news division. It's paramount that the rest of the organisation isn't seen to influence it's content. It's not acceptable for directors of other departments to influence it's editorial decisions and this firewall is likely what deterred him from asking questions.

Let's be honest here. If he had come out and he was sending off e-mails and having discussions with newsnight about the content of the reports this would scream 'cover-up'.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

All he had to know was what the subject was about and concidering he was the one who would be planning the programming is not really a big ask is it ? and well within his job description considering he was in charge of factual programming

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Wrong!

I suggest with allegations of rape it is better for the police to investigate not public institutions.Rape is a crime that needs very sensitive handling and I suggest that the BBC possibly do not have the necessary skills and resources to conduct an investigation.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

and that falls into the category of when a possible crime has been uncovered which as i said should be reported to the police ,all the BBC is investigating is the roll it's directors and other members of staff have played in the affair which is perfectly proper

re: Operation Yewtree
 

BBC will investigate their internal processes, handling of complaints etc. The actual crimes will be the Police

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I wonder if they will exhume any bodies for DNA?

oops, my post should have read "pre pubescent" after "post pubescent."

You make a very good point there.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Looks like the arrests have started

http://news.sky.com/story/1003744/ga...ning-by-police

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20114378

Now we find out how deep the rabbit hole goes ?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

l suspect the rabbit hole is very deep and its going to take some time before the get to the bottom of that hole.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I'm wondering how many "well respected" TV/Radio celebs will be involved.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Rumour has it a famous comedian is possibly involved.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

re: Operation Yewtree
 

It seems that some members of his family knew he molested children but turned a blind eye because the rewards where so good

http://news.sky.com/story/1003931/ji...-his-dark-side

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Why did they have to be boring and knock Gary Glitters door first?

go and knock the others and give us some excitement!

---------- Post added at 21:16 ---------- Previous post was at 21:11 ----------

A live one, or a dead one?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I can think of several who I could believe would be involved. I won't name them however, as I don't want to get either myself or the site into trouble.

On a slightly different note, it seems that the man running Children In Need banned Jimmy Savile from working on Children in Need, and the only reason he didn't report Jimmy is that he only ever heard rumours, but never saw evidence.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...n-in-need.html and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-20120302

I think that is the problem. A lot of people heard rumours, but not a lot actually had evidence. To act against a person in Jimmy's position, even people in the BBC management would have needed evidence. Based on various things I have read, Jimmy would not have hesitated to launch legal action (or take other actions like cancel donations to charity) against anyone who would have accused him of this. I also don't doubt for a second that he would have gone out of his way to end the career of anyone below him who he thought had grassed on him.

The problem is, it seems, that he was extremely good at frightening those who might have been able to give evidence against him.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

This is crucial yet is almost wilfully ignored in a rush to find someone to blame for the actions of a man who is cannot be held to account. We know he was a paedophile so how could these people not know? It's easy to be wise in hindsight. It's entirely different if the guy is a national hero, you're not aware of any substantial claims made against him, but you've heard from many that he is a 'dirty old man' (as people euphemistically put it).

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Gary glitter implicated, no surprise there.

Freddie Starr , vowing to clear his name.

How many many celebs are involved?

[Mod Edit - potentially libelous comment removed]

re: Operation Yewtree
 

As stated in the previous page of this thread, please *do not* accuse living people of criminal activity.

Restrict your posts to information that is not likely to be construed either as contempt of court or libel.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Well for a start Jeremy Beadle died 4 years ago, and secondly it was a joke...............Which I thought was quite funny, but that's a matter of personal taste.

Feel free to reinstate the post at your earliest convenience, unless you intend to censor the joke?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I read it before it was removed and regardless of whether it was intended as a joke or note i don't think his family would be impressed .It was the sort of joke you tell in a pub between mates not on a public forum

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Thanks for your critique.

But it was removed for being libellous on the premise that he was alive. Which he isn't.

Anyway, it's not important

re: Operation Yewtree
 

The more you hear about this man. the more you wish he was still alive.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Freddy Starr been arrested now too http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20174081

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Somehow i don't think he will be the last

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Not by a long shot mate, unless we're daft enough to think it was only the famous ones at it with them.

Here's how blatant saville was even on TV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxy1L...layer_embedded

re: Operation Yewtree
 

He wanted to speak to them, plus being arrested is a standard procedure.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Newsnight tonight could be interesting. A story naming a high-profile politician as a paedophile is being run past lawyers.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Interesting the reporter has pre-announced it. Trying to put pressure on the managers/lawyers to run the story? Can you imagine if they pulled it now?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Well, Freddy Starr is back in talking to the police! Did you see his fiancé sitting hand in hand?? Seems he does like younger girls :rolleyes:

---------- Post added at 16:06 ---------- Previous post was at 16:03 ----------

So they could search his house from top to bottom and take quite a lot of evidence bags away. :shocked:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

She is over 30 not 14.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Bit harsh she is 34 and to her credit she's sticking by him "in the twenty five years we've been together Freddie has never shown an interest in youngsters" she said, allegedly, possibly...

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Yes I did know that but Freddy is 69... Mind you at my age she looks 16 :D

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Really? That's ok then..:rolleyes:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

You state that she is now 34 years old and they have been together for 24 years. If this is true, I rest my case.

Reading between the lines he has gone back for further questions. Dont forget his accuser is the same Ms Ward who had the strength to open this can of worms. Freddy Starr has stated he was abused when he was eight so he could never abuse another person. We will see what the Police turn-up and what evidence they can get.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Seems like its been injunction'd and won't be broadcast. Of course twitter and the Internet are full of rumours who it is. Twitter especially might want to alter their site not offer up suggestions on what you were meaning to search for. :erm:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20156576

So another case of hearsay? Have some of the media been a bit quick to publish and not check their facts?Again?:rolleyes:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Freddie was 44 and she was 9 when they got together?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Erm yes but he said it was a joke but if its right its a bit wrong :shocked:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v34/n21/andrew-...-entertainment

Grim reading.

However I do take exception to this..

I didn't know any of it..and I'm pretty sure the majority of the British public DIDN'T know.Hindsight is a wonderful place.:mad:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Jimmy Savile's chauffeur arrested Link

was wondering when he would get pulled in....

---------- Post added at 17:35 ---------- Previous post was at 17:19 ----------

Sorry to keep saying this but the Scout & Guid Association knew of a problem With Savile back in the early 80s so why was it that the police and BBC never acted when allegations were put forward? I find that quite strange and can't be called hindsight a lot of people knew it was going on. :mad:

The abuse suffered by the children in that Welsh home just went on and on just like some children from the Catholic homes and Dr Barnardo's and only now are they being believed. That was not hindsight that was people above finding no case to answer. :mad:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I've just seen a site which claims to name the politicians involved in this. Obviously I'm not saying who they are or the site I found them on but if it's true (and I suspect it's not) then the whole Jimmy Savile angle of this affair will be greatly dwarfed.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Probably the same site that "This Morning" printed a list of names off to hand to Cameron during his interview today .Cameron didn't even look at the paper and rightly so ,it was a stupid and irresponsible thing to do by Schofield

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20251939

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Not connected to the stuff with JS.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

russ,,,,,,what is the site,,,,i wont to know the so called names,,,,like you do.

---------- Post added at 20:32 ---------- Previous post was at 20:32 ----------

want

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I think Dave making the connection with this and gay politicians means that he won't be looking into it as much as he'd have us believe.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Just remember Google is your friend.....;) but remember being gay is not the problem!

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Well they DIDN'T tell me..So I refuse to be accused of being an accomplice in the matter or of being equally guilty along with those who did know which what my point was..I DID NOT KNOW AND I NEVER HEARD A WORD ABOUT SAVILE IN ALL THAT TIME.

The vast majority of the country had no idea and to insist they did is rubbish.I read nothing about it in any newspapers and heard nothing in the media about it until the ITV programme.

The rats NOW coming out of the corners swearing that they heard this and that why the feck did they say nothing until now?Those are the guilty parties.I'll tell you why.They had no definitive hard evidence.It's going to be interesting to see just what hard real evidence the police turn up after all this time that doesn't turn out to be hearsay.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Are we still on this? You can't go accusing someone of being a child abuser based on a rumour. Clearly some people had heard rumours but they were dismissed as being born of the fact he was an eccentric. The questions on who knew what and when will hopefully be uncovered but we have to stop this over the top obsession with vilifying those who did nothing after hearing gossip.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I'm just on about those who instead of shutting up and speaking to the police insist on going into print both in the papers and online.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Is it now roundly accepted that Jimmy was a paedo?

Does anyone, other than the Yorkshire Ripper, still have doubts?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I'm with you on this one. Now all this is coming out, many pieces of a puzzle are coming into place but there are plenty still missing and the vast majority of the general public will have known nothing about this. It's quite clear that some in the media and in positions of responsibility etc. knew something was up and didn't do anything about it at the time for one reason or another. It's equally clear that some of the names 'in the frame' are there for no good reason at this stage and we are in danger of this becoming a form of modern day McCarthyism.

IMHO Philip's Schofield's stunt on live TV yesterday during an interview with the Prime Minister was a totally irresponsible case of rumour-mongering and a perfect example of what the media ought not be doing right now.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

It's the first time that Cameron and I have agreed on an issue and that there is a real danger of a media led witch hunt.

Mind if they do they fall into the behaviour which the Leveson Inquiry was just investigating.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Well it's fast becoming a feeding frenzy in the media circus and they're too busy gorging themselves to notice.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

The problem is evidence. You can report any crime you want to the police, but they will not take action unless they find evidence. Same with the management of the BBC. Who are the management going to believe? A 14 year old they do not know, or a man that helped thousands if not millions of people through his various charity events. This is how Jimmy Savile appeared at the time. I know that I (and apparently a lot of viewers) found him a little creepy, but that is not a criminal offence.

I don't know what happened at those organisations and if there was any wrongdoing, I hope it is rooted out. I hope that they didn't find evidence and bury it, and I hope that if they did bury any evidence, action is taken against them.

It's easy to say now that the abuse was going on, and the police do seem to have found a lot of evidence, but this has all come out after the fact. This is why it's hindsight.

I am not defending abuse in any form, as I think all abuse is wrong.

It's worth remembering that it is likely that staff at the papers who are busy criticising the BBC, Baranardos and all the other organisations involved possibly knew it was happening at the time and did nothing as well.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

The weird thing is how he was, as some put it 'hiding in plain sight'. I remember seeing an episode of Jim 'll fix it in the early 90s when I was first in the UK. I hadn't seen Savile before that, so I didn't know anything about him. I immediately thought 'something is wrong here', and I asked a mate about him. My mate replied saying he was just an eccentric and a massive fund-raiser for charity. I though, oh, that's alright then, and kind of nice that someone's given the space to be eccentric.

Unfortunately, my initial reaction was justified, and something was wrong. Now, I'm not going to claim that it should have been obvious to all. It just seems to me that many people had seen so many of Savile's oddities, that things that set alarm bells ringing in someone who hadn't seen him before, seem perfectly fine to those who knew him. In hindsight, oddities that may have been carefully crafted to hide the real 'secrets'.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Well Lord McAlpine has broken cover and denied any wrongdoing and will take legal action against those who have spread rumours against him.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20266118

Some people who should really know better, Sally Bercow springs to mind, should start getting worried.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

More in on this as the man has now said sorry over sex abuse error.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20269114

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Oh dear ,one wonders how many more people will have their reputation tarnished by mistaken identity or Philip Schofield

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Yes we need to show extreme caution before certain names get thrown around as even if they are not guilty the old saying is mud sticks and their reputation is then ruined for the rest of their lives.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I must be the only person who is defending Philip Schofield for what he did. What he did was brave and was needed. If David Cameron doesn't act on this info, then there is somethiong wrong with society.

I was abused for five years by ****, that should not walk this earth, yes l am bitter that all this has come up out by the disgusting JS saga. That child abuse has gone on for years, it happened to me at 13, l am now sixty, and l can still feel that breath of the guy - he has been dead for 15 years.

IF one person gets arrested over the Scofield saga, then it has been worth it.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Really? Even if the names on that list were of innocent people?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

It's not up to Cameron to do anything ,it's up to the police and if Schofield feels that the information he tried to show Cameron is worth anything then he should pass it onto the police not Cameron

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Gee whizz Arthur, I knew you were a blind Tory hater but this takes some beating even for you.

Your pain is clouding your judgment. There is no excuse for other innocent people to suffer a witch hunt just because you suffered yourself.

Philip Schofield pulled a pathetic, sensationalist and extremely childish stunt that risks both the reputations of innocent people and also the prospects of a successful prosecution of offenders.

It is not up to the Prime Minister to go and "talk to" people who have been smeared on the Internet about child abuse (which is what Schofiled actually suggested he should do). It is up to any person who has evidence to go and talk to the police.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I will put it another way then, The names came from the internet, therefore named by other people.

All Schofield was doing was bring it to the surface, There must be people shaking in there boots at this revelation. There must be hubndreds if not thousands out there that are in this mould. Child abuse wont be stopped by the JS business, it will just go further underground.

What l think he was doing was by getting Mr Cameron bring out an enquiry into ways of stopping it, but you won't. People that abuse children/adults should be locked up and the key thrown away.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

So you wouldn't have a problem if your name was included on that list?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

No, he wasn't just "bringing it to the surface". He was ambushing the Prime Minister in the hope of producing some good telly. It was pathetic.

We have gone a bit mad with enquiries lately. We have a police service and we have a prosecution service. They can, and should, do a job on this, if people will let them. That starts with those in possession of relevant information taking it to the police so it can be investigated, not trying to corner politicians on daytime TV.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

All schofield was doing was a bit of sensationalist tv .There are already inquiries ongoing ,there was no need for schofield to pull such an idiotic stunt as the names being bandied around the net will have already been investigated if there was any merit in the accusations

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Yes anyone innocent on that list must be absolutely soiling themselves at the prospect of their name being brought to the surface and re your last post, what exactly we're you expecting Dave to do about it, thank pip and promise action will be taken forthwith, I mean who needs the formalities of things like trials when you have the say so of some internet list, good job we're not having a trial to as this mornings attempt at sensationalism may well gave prejudiced any future trial.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Arthur's a paedo:shocked:

I just read it on t'internet.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

London Road, if you do not take that back, l will make a formal complaint to who ever runs this forum.:mad:

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I apologise immediately Arthur. I know you're not and you are rightly outraged. I would be too.

I'm just, rather crudely, making the point of how easy it is to spread rumour on the internet.

It's not nice to be totally innocent but be guilty in the eyes of those "in the know" because they read it on the internet, is it?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

point well made i'd say

re: Operation Yewtree
 

London Road, Apology accepted.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

but do you accept the point he made ?

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Is he, Arthur will be glad you've brought it to the surface...

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Schofield was an idiot for doing that. He risked displaying the names, there was nothing the Prime Minster could really do with it, and names you got off the internet is not a credible source. It's made worse by the tone Schofield had adopted as if he had caught the Prime Minster out by these names. The PM handled it brilliantly by not looking at the list and calming the situation down, calm and in control. You need a leader to do that and it's nice to see a politician adopt a cautionary tone as opposed to using it for political advantage. It was a reasonable reaction from him.

Newsnight too were pathetic with their news story last week that allowed the false accusation that Lord McAlpine was a child abuser to be made public. Turns out it was a case of mistaken identify and Newsnight didn't bother to check!? The accuser has been said to have retracted the accusation after he saw a picture and thought 'that wasn't him'. No one at the BBC had a picture of him?

This whole situation is out of control. It's insane. We have accusations flying around on national television that people are child abusers and we have daytime TV presenters surfing twitter in their newly adopted role of the paedofinder general. We've gone off the deep end. Brass eye had nothing on this.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

I think many people wonder though, if you got the point? Philip Schofield 'found' this list of paedos on the web, and for all we know Londonroad may have compiled this list as 'a bit of fun'. We don't do 'trial by a bloke on the web' in this country, and most of us think that's a good thing.

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Perhaps an inquiry is needed

re: Operation Yewtree
 

Actually it's quite funny watching Newsnight reporting on Newsnight and asking what on earth Newsnight was playing at! :D