I agreed with your agree with me post Blizz

I staying out of the other thread in case I get accused of causing trouble and creating arguments on that one too..  soon I will be banished from all threads just for joining in and voicing an opinion cos I is a trouble maker dontcha know.. 

Thanks for the 'going out' congrats. . I think I'm done for this month apart from a Post office and chemist visit phew!. .tis all too much for me

I just don't know Eugene, people say they could'nt cos there was'nt enough evidence or it was hearsay but if enough people had even sent in anonamous letters to the police but its all hind sight and I suppose each person thought they were one person standing alone..I also wonder how many did report him to the police and it was covered up..

Two victims who had named McAlpine have now said they got it wrong it wasn't him, this was after they finally saw a picture of him presumably one of him when he was younger at the age when all this happened.. they've apologised.. ...

so all those crackpot blogs quoting his name need to examine themselves and their real motives before they print any more stuff about people and put the mockers on any properly investigated cases that reach court....   

I agree Olly....

Well said, Olly.

All seems a bit sinister to me....

What does?

Very odd...

I agree

You couldn't make it up erin  

Poor Mr. Messham is now on the backfoot apologising and probably losing any trust in the system all over again. There will be lots of ppl out there tonight not believing him anymore. Whipping pieces of paper out on a public forum is NOT the right way to get justice.

Heads should roll in the BBC and the police and famous media men and women along with politicians involved in the sex scandal should be  disgraced and brought to justice .We have laws in the UK that are not being enforced and I am bliddy seathing.

I knew this would happen.Witnesses would be threatened and or discredited ,that Savile and possibly another couple of nonentities would take the fall for the "living" child sex abusers.

The whole think stinks!

Thats what the abusers involved in this child abuse ring are hoping will happen.

Indeed 

Smells of something rotten

I don't think this particular geenie will get back into the bottle tbh. The whole thing has become a mammoth beast in just a few weeks. I think at this stage everybody is going round like blue arsed flies, which is why we need the investigation to become consolidated. On the whole, I agree with GJ. It'll be years and years before it's resolved, if ever.

I knew this would happen..

Suddenly we have a statement saying it's all a case of mistaken identity - just a simple mistake. And yet - the Newsnight team were in discussion all day with lawyers about naming 'the name' Why a whole day of legal wrangles if it were that simple? - This has been on the web for 20 years or more - sorry - I'm a sceptic - I'd have wanted my name cleared years ago. The nerve isn't holding anymore - the heavies are out - this 'story of mistaken ID' has been ready if the sh** should ever hit the fan. I'm not buying it.

I remember that particular diversionary tactic well, (in the 80s/early 90s,) and the philosophical arguments being posed comparing the 'liberal' beliefs of those who had a sexual interest in children to those who were homosexuals. I also remember, around the same time, an assumption, or at the v least a suspicion, that all gay men who worked with children were probably child sex offenders. Of course some of them were, but the majority weren't. The argument about 'trial by twitter' aside, I find it v interesting  that Cameron chose to focus on this particular 'angle'

Totally agree Soozy

And it's not a very good day for gay witches either

me too....

Well I think there are definite issues here, but they're not necessarily the one's you'd expect.

Remember that Messham didn't mis-identify McAlpine - the police did. He correctly identified a photo of his abuser, but was then incorrectly told who it was.

And then there's the question of how it never ocurred to any of the Newsnight team throughout their investigation to just show Messham a photo of McAlpine...

Oh come on, that's what happened in those days, and, (thankfully to a lesser degree,) still does! Remember this http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2...-sexual-abuse-review

Time and time and time again people have raised concerns and have not been heard, have been vilified, lost their jobs etc. for saying something, whilst those who have 'tiptoed' are told to 'be careful of what they are saying/implying,' etc. It's happening on this very thread: don't dare say it unless you have hard evidence to support it. Oh, and if you're saying it now, then we won't take you seriously, we'll just think you're just 'jumping on the bandwagon' for your 5 mins of fame.

For the most part people would rather disbelieve than believe, because it's too unpalatable...me, I'll keep an open mind and I won't ever have as much faith in the criminal justice system as some on here do, not  because I'm anti police but because, we're talking child abuse here, possibly the most difficult crime to prove

Do you not think that it might have come up in the day long meeting with lawyers about potential libel. If it was all a silly mistake do you not think it might have been discovered during the legal wrangle?

Hmmmmmmmmm  It doesn't sit right with me at all ..........all this grovelling apologies and the like reeks of a heavy hand - and I have never, ever been one for conspiracies and the like but the fact that this whole era/episode of child abuse has been hushed up and lied about (Jersey included) stinks to high heaven of powerful people that pulled strings in the past and are continuing to do so.

My guess is - there is far too much at stake.

It's all surreal now Joe

Well, that's sort of my point: the whole thing looks like a massive cock-up by Newsnight. Presumably they convinced the lawyers that Messham was a credible witness (which, it would appear, he is - the police made the mistake, not him) but in reality they simply hadn't done basic checks.

Let's just for the sake of argument assume for a minute that Messham's been "nobbled", and his claim now that it wasn't McAlpine is a lie. Newsnight could have covered themselves simply by showing him a photo on record. Either they would have realized they had the wrong man, or else they would have proof of Messham changing his story. The whole investigation (police and BBC) reeks of incompetence...

5live are asking: Is Newsnight toast? I hope not. Damned if they do and damned if they don't.

It absolutely reeks of a cover up and it discusts me but I knew this would happen, there's too amny of them and too many in high places and they know if they don't protect each other they will all go together....

Newsnight didn't even so much as hint at McAlpine. I don't see what the problem is.

So what was the  Waterhouse inquiry all about?..

That's a good point, and implies that the lawyers did get something right.

As it stands, though, it still looks like like there was some sloppy journalism going on...

Exactly Cologne.Newsnight did not reveal anyones name,so why are they apologising for airing the interview.

McAlpine's name has been associated with a lot more than Mr Messham's reported abuse,is McAlpine hoping that this story disappears along with all the other stories about him. 

The BBC has also apologised for broadcasting the interview. A spokesman said: "On November 2, Newsnight broadcast a report that looked into criticism of the North Wales Abuse Tribunal.

"The report included an interview with Steve Messham, an abuse victim who said that a senior political figure of the time had abused him.

Lord McAlpine vehemently denies the claims

"We broadcast Mr Messham's claim but did not identify the individual concerned. Mr Messham has tonight made a statement that makes clear he wrongly identified his abuser and has apologised. We also apologise unreservedly for having broadcast this report."

I think this is the important bit. Whether rightly or wrongly, Newsnight opened the floodgates for certain self-righteous internet inhabitants (not to mention Philip Schofield...) to make uneducated guesses as to who the individual was.

I know it seems unfair to blame Newsnight for internet rumours, but they may feel with hindsight that the current spotlight on the BBC meant that they have a responsibility to be even more careful than usual...

This is what I'm on about erinp, even back then and all these years noone can convince me that Steve was mistaken for all these years..

My best guess is clinging onto the status quo by their fingernails while trying to cross their fingers at the same time and doing an ostrich. Bit like a game of twisters and bound to collapse.