[Osem]

That Savile did a hell of a lot of good work for charity is without question. That he did a hell of a lot of immoral and even illegal things in the process now looks pretty much without question too. Like him or loathe him, I can see that an awful lot of people saw him as an inspiration and would never have wanted to think the worst of him or believe he could have been a paedophile and abuser. Maybe that accounts in part for why he was able to get away with so much. What went on at the BBC will no doubt become clearer in the not too distant future and I dare say there will be people who'll be facing some very tough questioning and harsh realities. As well as those directly complicit in any abuse, there'll probably be those who had some suspicions but turned a blind eye and those who had first hand experience of Savile's dubious activities but chose not to make it public for one reason or another.

When I was in secondary school in the 70's there were all sorts of rumours about at least 2 male staff and their unhealthy interests in young boys and girls. It was 'common knowledge' but nothing was done and even the staff (who must have known more than the pupils) laughed it off. In one case we found out years later that the rumours were true and the teacher concerned had a string of convictions to testifty to the fact. In the other case the guy conerned died before anything was proved.

It doesn't sound that long ago but things were very different in those days and if Savile learned his trade and honed his skills of deception to total perfection during those years it wouldn't surprise me at all. There are lots of things we now consider wrong and immoral that weren't treated quite so seriously not that long ago. This is one such area I believe and expecting the BBC as it was then to have been entirely free of abuse, harrassment etc. is living in cloud cuckoo land. Sections of the press are of course having a field day at the prospect of the BBC's demise but I wonder what their newsrooms, cafeterias and office parties were like in those days?

The additional sadness here is that Savile was able to conceal his abuse to the day he died but I don't that is just because he may have had powerful friends who helped him hide or even carry out some of the abuse. I think he simply exploited, to the full, a glowing reputation for charitable work coupled with a reputation for an eccentric disposition.

I'd hate to think that, from now on, genuinely good, kind and decent people who work within and raise money for the charity sector are put off from so doing due to increased suspicion surrounding their motives. That truly would make Savile's legacy all the worse.