August 28, 2014

Denis MacShane was too soft on Muslims like Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris and Cyril Smith

At least I think that's what he told The Daily Telegraph:
Denis MacShane, the former Labour MP for Rotherham, has admitted that as a “Guardian reading liberal leftie” he shied away from the issue of the oppression of women in the Muslim community.

Mr MacShane, who resigned in 2012 over an expenses fraud for which he was later jailed, insisted no-one came to him with child abuse allegations during his 18 years in Parliament, but admitted he should have “burrowed into” the issue.

He told the BBC: "I think there was a culture of not wanting to rock the multicultural community boat if I may put it like that.”

Admitting he had been guilty of doing too little, he said he had been aware of the problem of cousin marriage and “the oppression of women within bits of the Muslim community in Britain” but: “Perhaps yes, as a true Guardian reader, and liberal leftie, I suppose I didn’t want to raise that too hard.”

He recalled having a “huge row” with another local MP and council grandees because they were complaining about a newspaper investigation into child sexual exploitation in Rotherham, which unearthed uncomfortable truths they did not want to hear.

He said: “Nobody pursued Jimmy Saville, nobody pursued Rolf Harris, nobody pursued Cyril Smith, nobody pursued Mrs Thatcher’s sidekick we now learn was a depraved predatory monster. 
Now really we should be enforcing the law without fear or favour irrespective of ethnic, national or religious background and irrespective of celebrity status but since MacShane was never known for having a "Guardian liberal leftie" attitude to Muslims anyway, I really don't know how he can hide behind "multiculturism" to explain away his inaction over rampant child abuse in his former consituency of Rotherham.


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