Something is rotten in Westminster

Last week, we learned that the UK Home Secretary was handed a dossier of information back in the 80's alleging paedophile activity in Westminster, and asked officials to investigate it. And now we learn that that dossier - alogn with 114 other relevant files - has "disappeared":

A dossier compiled by an MP detailing allegations of a 1980s Westminster paedophile ring is one of more than 100 potentially relevant Home Office files destroyed, lost or missing, it has emerged.

The government faced fresh calls for an overarching inquiry into historical cases of paedophilia as it was revealed that a total of 114 Home Office files relevant to allegations of a child abuse network have disappeared from government records.

David Cameron has already ordered the Home Office permanent secretary to look into what happened to a lost dossier given earlier in the 1980s to Leon Brittan, then home secretary, by the campaigning Tory MP Geoffrey Dickens.

The revelation that further relevant documents have disappeared will raise fresh fears of an establishment cover-up.

No shit. And its only backed up by this story today from the Guardian's MP Simon Danczuk:

In advance of the home affairs select committee session on child abuse, which was trailed as an opportunity to discuss historic sex abuse involving politicians, pressure was applied to everyone not to bring up any living politicians.

A senior Tory apprehended me inside parliament and warned me not to name a former cabinet minister. The matter had been put to bed years ago, he said, and if raised now it would probably kill the former minister. But he wasn't the only one applying pressure. Party whips, Lords, MPs and others were all involved in cajoling, arm-twisting and bullying committee members to stick to a carefully choreographed script.

So, senior Tories pressuring the media into sweeping the dirty laundry under the bed. These people need to be named. All of them. Then we can ask them why they're so keen on covering up for child-abusers, and hold them accountable at the ballot box if we don't like their answers.

Meanwhile, we have former Cabinet Ministers saying they believe there was a cover-up, and that

the collective instinct of establishment figures at the time was to protect "the system" and not to delve too deeply into claims

Meanwhile, the current Home Secretary hoping to "quell demands for a public inquiry". Which seems to be a perfect example of that urge in action.

Something is very rotten in Westminister. And only an independent public inquiry will root it out. As for those opposing such an inquiry, we should all ask: who are they covering up for?

Update: Added the Tebbit info five minutes after posting.