Fiona Woolf resigns as chair of government’s child abuse inquiry

what is it with the British Political establishment and why can't we find the right person to head up this very important enquiry. Does child abuse go so far up the ladder, that almost every politician has something to hide. It's a disgrace that we can not find the right person, from what are meant to be the brightest and best in the country to carry out this vitalLy important enquiry.

The government’s child sex abuse inquiry was thrown into crisis after Fiona Woolf became the second senior legal figure to quit as chair over her links to the Westminster political establishment. Woolf’s departure is a major embarrassment for the government and raises questions about the judgment of the home secretary, Theresa May, just months after retired judge Lady Butler-Sloss stepped down over similar concerns. Woolf’s exit has left the inquiry without a chair and exposed concerns about the whole process overseen by the Home Office. Victims’ groups who pressed for Woolf to step down are now also calling for a much tougher judge-led inquiry. Alison Millar, head of the abuse team at law firm Leigh Day, which represents victims, said her clients were pleased that Woolf had stepped down. “Now the work begins for a proper inquiry which listens to the survivors and supports them in giving their evidence to an experienced panel,” she said. “The terms of reference must be based on the needs of survivors and must cover the scale of abuse which is slowly coming to light across the UK.”

What is going on in this country? If it's not paedophile grooming gangs or celebrities, it's the people who we have elected to represent us.

It should be done with civilians overlooking the entire process. A group of trusted civilians should be appointed to watch every step that takes place and to ensure that every piece of information that is uncovered reaches the people and not hidden. You can be sure that otherwise strong pressure will be applied to whoever does the job and it will all be covered up.

It may sound far fetched, but I believe panels such as this should be by the public. Appoint a group of just every day folks, let them look at the evidence, where ever it may lead. Make sure no one's bank account gets a sudden healthy influx and keep the politicians, their pet lawyers, appointees and judges out of it and make each confirmed finding immediately public. Heads Would Roll.

originally posted by: DAVID64
It may sound far fetched, but I believe panels such as this should be by the public. Appoint a group of just every day folks, let them look at the evidence, where ever it may lead. Make sure no one's bank account gets a sudden healthy influx and keep the politicians, their pet lawyers, appointees and judges out of it and make each confirmed finding immediately public. Heads Would Roll.

I was thinking the very same yesterday. It's the only way it can be trusted, without suspicion of it being a whitewash. Like so many of these commission led enquires

a reply to: woodwardjnr

I believe it was the right thing to do for Fiona Woolf to resign herself from her position as head of this inquiry, but I think that the fact that she was appointed at all is a bloody travesty.

Her initial defense of her position as head of the inquiry was also a bloody disgraceful, transparent balls up from start to finish, and she should have known better than to take the thing on in the first place. She was far too close to the social set from which the persons who will be named as persons of interest by the inquiry come (assuming whatever inquiry actually goes ahead has any teeth at all), to officiate this proceeding with impartiality, and with vigor.

The truth is, that the only person fit to head an inquiry of this nature, and deal fairly with figures who are part of the establishment, is someone from so far outside the establishment that they have no reason to shy away from their duty to enable the inquiry to reveal whatever dark, vile activities have been committed, by whom, when, where and also crucially to discover, who knew, for how long, and why have none of them come forward in shame.

A person from within the establishment as it stands today, cannot be expected to deal impartially with these matters, because they are infinitely more likely to have been accessed at some point in their careers, by persons who will become targets of the investigative element of the inquiry, which in turn would mean that no matter what the revelations are from this process, that there is a high risk of the inquiry head allowing a cover up to occur, rather than risk "embarrassment" of their own by association with perpetrators.

I have said it before, and I will say it again. A judge is a poor choice to head an inquiry like this, because judges by and large press the flesh with highly powerful people, and are in all the right clubs, if one knows what I mean, to have met most of the key players in all the weirdest little dramas that have played out in living memory. The right person for this job, has never met, nor holds any affection for the people who might come under scrutiny, the right person for this job cares nothing for the political affect any revelations might have going forward, is only interested in the truth, in dragging perpetrators into the light, and allowing scrutiny to burn them down to ashes and dust.

We need someone with fire in their belly, who fears nothing, who will not back down, no matter what threat they might receive, who will not allow any shenanigans, double speak, bluffs, or backroom funny business to occur, someone with proverbial balls of steel, and someone who is incapable of misplacing their mercy, because they have none what so ever for those under the spotlight, someone who will not give any respect to the status of the people who are being questioned WHAT SO EVER during the process, and who will mercilessly pursue the truth for the sake of justice, someone who would prefer to be vivisecting those responsible for cover ups, but shows restraint by bullying, cajoling, coercing, and FORCING, wringing the truth from the horrid damp rags that are the guilty parties in the ranks of the establishment.

No judge is interested in that, nor has the stomach for it. They are all lining up, do not forget, to BE in the establishment one day, so it makes little sense for anyone who is, or has ever been a judge to be at all interested in doing any of this, certainly not with the zeal, vigor, and cold, relentless inevitability with which these proceedings must be enacted if they are to achieve the stated aims!

a reply to: TrueBritthanks for that contribution. It's going to be a tough job finding someone with the right character and credentials needed to make this seem like a trust worthy inquiry.

YOu know child sex abuse cases can also be used to throw down good ppl in right positions with allegations etc, if there is considerable pedo ring inside British government then the truth will be very hard to find, these animals will go extreme lengths to keep their statuses. Also the secrecy over these cases will make the investigations even harder than they already are, imho these cases should be opened to all to see and learn, we need this truth out there so that masses will learn about it, that would give us the ppl great buff to fight against these pedos. But i am guessing this is why its made so that we only get the headlines and some stories here and there to keep our minds in "right" places between fear and hate.