Thoughts and a bit more about Jimmy Savile

The few people who know me will be aware that one of my heroes WAS Jimmy Savile and while most wanted to write to Jim'll Fix It for their own gain, meet the pop star etc. I always wished to be Jim and be the one granting the wishes of the other kids.

It was for this reason that when my second brain tumour came along and I was medically retired and volunteering became the option it did, that I chose to volunteer for the brilliant Make-A-Wish Foundation UK which, in turn, meant I was lucky enough to meet some wonderful families and some incredible, amazing and very special children who, despite their own problems, still lived life as best they could, more often than not with a smile not a frown which is something most of us could learn from.

Meeting these remarkable little people really was a gift, something that I will always treasure and it was therefore with extreme sadness and anger that I learned that my 'hero' had been using the gift the he had also been given, to do the despicable, disgusting, nauseating and revolting acts that he now clearly appears to have done. 

Savile was my hero, he no longer is and the work of Mark Williams-Thomas has to be applauded.

As far as I am concerned Mark and his team have done the nation a huge favour and while there has to be very real concern with those who knew about Savile’s actions but didn’t come forward not because they were victims of his abuse but because of their belief that they would have their careers affected or similar, the news that so many victims are now coming forward does have to be welcomed.

Absolutely no one should feel they can’t come forward at times when most are fortunate to never experience and will thankfully never experience what they have and if Mark’s investigations expose not just Savile but anyone associated with aiding him, which includes having knowledge but doing nothing, then they to must be held to account.

Sadly this part of what Mark has brought into the open rings far to many alarm bells for me and in part mirrors what the political elite class as "my campaign" to expose the failures that are in our Community Safety Strategies.

Believe it or not but most when they are first being affected by something do actually complain or want to, should the option to complain be available and it is only when they feel that that avenue is closed that they feel that it isn’t worth bothering with “because nobody (who can do anything) will listen”.

Not listening has and unless it changes will cost us dearly. It’s not just how Savile could have done what he did, it’s how the young girls in Rochdale happened, it’s how Fiona Pilkington and her daughter happened, it attributed to tragic cases like that of Gary Newlove, Sophie Lancaster and others and it can even relate to the murders of Stephen Lawrence, Ben Kinsella and more recently the murders of PC’s Bone and Hughes in Manchester, were people were told of problems or had the tools available (commitments / Key Objectives, as they are in Community Safety Strategies) to deal which failed.

I get dismissed with luck someone who won’t will have more success and with luck what Mark Williams-Thomas has thankfully done with Savile will make ears prick and get the ball rolling, in the right direction.