United Kingdom: The other day, Bartholomew's Notes on Religion drew my attention to the unearthing of an ancient artifact, or rather, to the conspiracy theories surrounding the disappearance of something pulled out of an MP's arse: Geoffrey Dickens' alleged dossier proving the existence of child abuse by satanic cults, whose members included some very important people indeed.
And now the Prime Minister himself has either been sucked in, or is trying to distract attention away from something:
David Cameron has ordered a fresh investigation into what happened to a missing dossier of alleged paedophile activity involving politicians in the 1980s.
The inquiry follows pressure from former ministers and campaigners against child abuse to find the dossier, which was handed to the then home secretary, Leon Brittan, by the Conservative MP Geoffrey Dickens.
Cameron said he understood the concerns that had been raised. That's why I've asked the permanent secretary at the Home Office [Mark Sedwill] to do everything he can to find answers to all of these questions and to make sure we can reassure people about these events.
Some sources I've see equate this dossier with his vapourware one on Satanic Abuse. That was my first thought on reading the news, but the dates don't match:
Dickens, a longstanding campaigner against child abuse, passed the dossier of allegations to Brittan in 1983. Brittan has said he passed it on to his officials and raised concerns about some of the allegations with the director of public prosecutions.
The Satanic one is from 1988.
Never again can it be claimed that our Law Officers are unaware of the growing menace. I have now warned Parliament, and that warning is duly recorded in the Official Report of our proceedings. It is my intention in a few weeks' time to hand a dossier to the Home Office, compiled by Childwatch and me. We must then discuss how best to proceed to safeguard children. There will not be an easy answer, but we may learn from discussions with certain American states. It is certain that black witchcraft and Satanism will not go away unless we unite to drive it away. Hansard, 27th April 1988.
In reply, the Minister of State, Home Office, John Patten, welcomed the promise of a dossier, but noted that the allegations made by Dickens were of acts that were already illegal and covered by existing law. Yet in 1990, Dickens claimed
Will my right hon. and learned Friend consider arranging a debate on the spread of satanism and devil worship in the United Kingdom and the involvement of children? I well remember the reaction in the House 10 years ago, when I warned of the spread of child abuse.
A search of Hansard for references to witchcraft by Geoffrey Dickens suggests otherwise. A search on child abuse generally reveals nothing until January 1984, when Dickens does mention presenting a dossier to the Home Secretary - concerning the Kincora Children's Home, and nothing to do with paedophile politicians, Satanists or any of the other lurid stories. A major anti-child abuse effort comes later that year, with his Paedophilia (Protection of Children) Bill, in which he mentions having used parliamentary privilege to name a paedophile diplomat. While the Bill was aimed at organisations such as the Paedophile Information Exchange, it would make it an offence to be a member of any organisation, association, society, religious sect, club or the like that holds meetings at which support is given to encourage, condone, corrupt or entice adults to have sexual relationships with children
(emphasis mine).
Subsequent to that, his only comments on the topic seems to concern the Not the Nine O'Clock News favourite, chopping off the goolies of offenders, hanging and other forms of violent revenge.
But, there was a dossier in 1983, and it concerned paedophiles, but it had nothing to do with Satanism. It had been compiled by the Metropolitan Police, not Geoffrey Dickens. The Glasgow Herald reported on it at the time:
Scotland Yard announced that a new report on the activities of PIE, the Paedophile Information Exchange, has gone to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Home Secretary Mr. Leon Brittan will this weekend receive a special report drawn up from this dossier. Yesterday, Tory MP Mr. Geoffrey Dickens, who has campaigned for the outlawing of the group, claimed it contained the names of a number of people in public life.
The MP has previously threatened to use parliamentary privilege to name names unless there was a clampdown on the organisation.
So there we have it. What's lost is a dossier on PIE, compiled by the Metropolitan Police, about which Dickens made some claims at the time, but which he did not originate. Which at least means it might be worth trying to find as it's less likely to be full of made-up crap.
Geoffrey Dickens: Child Abuse Claims and Satanic Panic—Bartholomew's Notes on Religion,2nd July 2013; Jimmy Savile was part of satanic ring—Sunday Express, 13th January 2013;
David Cameron orders new inquiry into Westminster child abuse claims—The Guardian, 4th July 2013; Headmaster was police spy in child-sex group—Glasgow Herald, 25th August 1983.
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