Wednesday 28 January 2015

Mario Lundy Named by Jersey Child Abuse Inquiry.





Not for the first time the former Director of Education, Mario Lundy, has been named in an investigation into Child Abuse, this time by evidence given to the ongoing JERSEY CHILD ABUSE INQUIRY. (COI)

Back in February 2009, after going through all the correct channels (and coming up against a brick wall) in order to get some answers I was forced into door-stepping Mr. Lundy (video below) the then Chief Executive Officer at Education. 

At that time, (2008) the then Senator Stuart Syvret, had named Mr. Lundy in the Island's Parliament as an alleged abuser. It was reported by Bloggers (Jersey's only independent media) that he (Lundy) was a priority suspect in the Police Child Abuse Investigation (Operation Rectangle) and a "Notice of Disclosure" was sent to the then Home Affairs Minister ANDREW LEWIS among others yet Mr. Lundy was not removed from post.

The Island's State Media has reported on the naming of Lundy today  ITV/CTV. BBC State Radio has it as their headline news but can't find it on the BBC's website, or JEP's.

VFC was questioning these allegations, back in 2008/9 and asking why Lundy was not suspended from duty while he was under police investigation.......Questions NOT being asked by the State Media.

Hopefully some six years later questions will be asked (and answers given) as to why Mario Lundy was able to remain in his post as Education CEO while he was being investigated as part of a Child Abuse Investigation. Who decided NOT to suspend him? Will that person(s) be called to explain his/her actions before the Child Abuse Committee of Inquiry?

Was he protected by the then Chief Executive Officer of the States Of Jersey Bill (Golden Handshake) Ogley? This extract from the AFFIDAVIT of the former Jersey Chief Police Officer, Graham Power QPM, might suggest so.

"The third example I have chosen relates to a Strategic Planning Workshop held at the St Pauls Centre on Friday 24th October 2008. The Workshop was attended by a number of senior public servants including myself and the Chief Executive. At the commencement of the workshop the Chief Executive asked for silence and said that he had an announcement to make. He named a senior civil servant who was present. The person named is a suspect in the abuse investigation but has not been suspended. The Chief Executive said that the suspect had his total support and that “if anyone wants to get…….(the suspect)…….they would have to get me first”. This announcement was applauded by some but not all of the persons present. I took it as a further indication of the “in crowd” closing ranks against the “threat” of the abuse enquiry. The Chief Executive later played a significant role in my suspension."

Will Mr. Lundy's alleged Victims/Survivors finally start to get something that resembles Justice and closure? 


Friday 23 January 2015

Celebrating Democracy Day.......Jersey Style.


After the success of the YISS CAMPAIGN, and by popular demand, Lord Reginald Hamilton Tooting Rawley Jones III returns to our screens in what we hope will become a regular series of political, satirical, commentary.

As the UK celebrated ‘Democracy Day’ this week, to mark 750 years of the first parliament of elected representatives at Westminster, The Jersey Conservative Party showed how it is committed to scaling back democracy, by making sure that it will now be even more difficult to call a ‘requête for a parish Assembly.

Writing opposing the move, brought by the Comité des Connétables P.173/2014, Former Constable and Minister, Mike Jackson criticised the Comité saying: The requête is the ‘little person’s’ opportunity to get their proposition considered and in view of the numbers that generally attend Parish Assemblies, the requirement for 4 signatories seems reasonable but 10 unnecessarily onerous.
Given that there is little to be gained by this proposition please review your support for it as I don’t believe it does the office of Connétable any favours!’

At the same time, the Conservative majority fought off proposals from the opposition – Reform Jersey – to increase the minimum wage by a further 10p an hour, P.175/2014 and to protect workers from unfair dismissal. It will now be possible to dismiss employees P.169/2014 in an unfair way for 12 months, not just six.

In this video, our good friend and local political commentator, Lord Reginald Hamilton Tooting Rawley Jones III praises the success of the Jersey’s Conservative Party, of which he is the proud patron, and calls on Jersey residents to do more to support this government of the rich for the rich.



Monday 19 January 2015

Stuart Syvret on the #CSAInquiry.







Former Jersey Senator, Whistle blower and Health Minister, Stuart Syvret, as reported in The Jersey Evening Post, was recently invited to, attended, and addressed a meeting at the House of Commons organised by The WhiteFlowers Campaign.

We managed to catch up with him, on his return, and in an exclusive interview discuss the over-arching Child Sex Abuse Inquiry slowly being organised in the UK. How does it affect Jersey, can Jersey be a part of it? What does it hope to achieve that the Jersey Child Abuse Inquiry won't/can't?

Mr. Syvret argues that the local Child Abuse Inquiry in Jersey is structurally incapable of investigating the break-down in the rule of law in the island and the corruption of power which has facilitated and enabled decades of concealed child abuse here.
He says that not only has the Jersey authorities acted unlawfully by concealing Child Abuse, but that the authorities in London have colluded with, and protected, the Jersey establishment. For that reason, Mr Syvret says that only an inquiry which examines the conduct of Whitehall,  a Britain-wide inquiry, can ensure the protection of children in the ‘Crown Dependencies’ the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Mr. Syvret says there is no difference, in principle, to the UK authorities undertaking their investigation into Child Abuse in the British Overseas Territories, such as St. Helena and the alleged failure of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office to prevent it, and the need for the UK authorities to undertake a similar investigation in respect of the Crown Dependencies such as Jersey, and the alleged failure of the Secretary of State for Justice.





Wednesday 7 January 2015

Leah McGrath Goodman Discusses Jersey Child Abuse Inquiry.




A little before Christmas VFC had the opportunity to talk exclusively with US journalist Leah McGrath Goodman concerning Jersey's on-going Child Abuse Inquiry and related matters.

Regular readers will recall Ms Goodman was previously BANNED from the UK, and Jersey, after it became apparent, to the authorities, that she was investigating atrocities committed against children at Haut de la Garenne and elsewhere on the Island. After a hard-fought BATTLE her visa was restored, and indeed has recently been renewed.

In the interview (below) Ms Goodman discusses her observations on the Jersey Child Abuse Inquiry, thus far, subjects include; the naming (or not) of living suspects including two alleged prolific offenders on the Island who have been named in the "regulated" media but, contrary to the Inquiry's own RULING, are NOT being named by the Inquiry. We discuss the links between the Jersey Child Abuse and that of the UK and how it should form part of the over-arching CSA inquiry being (or not) formed by the UK government/Theresa May.

For those wishing to give evidence to the Inquiry they can do so by making contact with it HERE.