Jimmy Savile

I’ve been doing my very best to resist the urge to blog of late as book commitments leave me little time for distractions, however, the Jimmy Savile controversy has prompted me to vent my spleen.

Obviously I do not know all the ins and outs of every claim, indeed of any of the claims, but it is quite obvious that at best Mr Savile was an odd, rather sad character whose behaviour towards the opposite sex was inappropriate (at worst of course he should have been outed and locked up away from society many years ago).

Only a few short weeks ago I was out cycling with a chap who had bought Jimmy Savile’s bike and we were exchanging stories about his legendary charity fund-raising (only my dear departed friend Jeremy Beadle even comes close to the amounts raised by Mr Savile). A visit to his grave to pay respects was planned…

So what do we feel about the man now?

Well there is no grave to speak of anymore and the press have vilified the man to the extent that his family feel threatened by the adverse publicity. The same family who were so proud of him that they denied the case of the woman who came forward as his illegitimate daughter - perhaps that woman is now thankful for the rebuttal.

But, and please do not misunderstand my words, I cannot help but think that every person who kept quiet, be it an individual or corporation, and who now says they knew of his lascivious nature, are almost equally to blame for any wrongdoings.

I just don’t understand why a blind eye could be turned in the same way as I do not understand the reasons why my own Catholic church ever covered for debauched priests. Of course I do not include the alleged victims in my judgement as I can quite understand circumstances where silence is the only viable option for the young and vulnerable but we cannot condone the silence of so-called responsible adults.

How often have I bleated on about the dangers of nepotism and all its many guises in our every day dealings in life? This is yet another. A powerful man perceived to be an eccentric do-gooder is forgiven his many sins as he lays claim to a soft spot in the hearts of the nation. Let’s be honest. We all knew he was odd and he didn’t hide the fact that he could be dangerous – once admitting on a talk show that he could make a phone call in London and someone up north could have their legs broken! But because of Jim’ll Fix It and his charity marathons we chose to believe that his inappropriate looking fondling of young girls was entirely innocent. I for one fell for it - and who can blame me? My mind would tell me that this man was a surly, difficult reprobate but the BBC elevated him to a level that made him untouchable. I ended up liking the man despite his obvious shortcomings - but then again I had no idea that there were greater demons in his psyche.

And how can it possibly happen that a man walks the earth for 84 years and is one step short of sainthood but then dies and subsequently stands accused of the most heinous crimes?

Does it surprise or shock me?

Not in the least.

I have often said that human beings are a naturally scurrilous lot both in word and deed. We turn a blind eye to “loveable rogues”, we favour friends and family even when they are wrong, we even throw out all sense of decency on a Saturday afternoon when we support our football teams by daemonising the opposition. And yes, I have done these things myself so claim no moral high ground. Our politicians are less corrupt than in many other countries so we settle for the mediocrity. Is it just my age or are today’s politicians a joke? Perhaps they always have been – maybe the joke is on us. Having dabbled in local politics I can honestly say that the greasy pole to the top might be paved with good intentions but in stark reality is a slimy dirty business not befitting of decent right-minded folk and inhabited by misfits, wannabes and reprobates. A sweeping hyperbole of course and a slur on all those individuals who take up public duty for the right reasons BUT unfortunately even those people become part of the system eventually compromising their maverick good natures in a self-deluding haze of expediency - or else they simply fade away as shrinking violets. It is these people as much as the police, the BBC or showbusiness insiders who I blame for making society the dishonest disenfranchised mess that it is. Until we nurture politicians who do not throw us crumbs just before an election but who passionately care about the ongoing state of the nation irrespective of election results, we will always struggle. We will always tolerate the Jimmy Saviles of this world. Just look at the inappropriate honours bestowed upon businessmen such as Sir Philip Green, Sir Richard Branson and Lord Alan Sugar. Not wishing to belittle their achievements but hardly known for their intellect, megalomanic tendencies, vested interests in all manner of areas and yet because they scratch the back of certain political parties from time to time they have power that is detrimental to an enlightened society. I will shout it from the hilltops but no one needs more than a million pounds even today and all these people should be taxed accordingly and the money used to float third world equality. Let us not revere the rich and famous per se but instead admire their deeds.

Only then will people speak up and ensure that the little man is heard and just maybe a fair society will ensure that no child in care will ever again be abused – better still a fair society will ensure that we no longer have children in care