Labour has come under fire after refusing to hold a public inquiry into historic sexual abuse by grooming gangs in Oldham.

Galaxy

In line with my usual accurate predictions, I predict that within weeks there will be a national inquiry.

Then there will be a discussion about the cost and demands to know when there will be follow-up actions, just as there has already been.

Casdon

This is what happened according to the Manchester Everning News, which seems to be the earliest report of what Andy Burnham actually said.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/andy-burnham-not-opposed-new-30742317
It was a considered speech, there is no ‘split’. It gets more like reading Hello Magazine every day on some media sites.

And more like the National Enquirer on GN sometimes

In line with my usual accurate predictions, I predict that within weeks there will be a national inquiry.

This is what happened according to the Manchester Everning News, which seems to be the earliest report of what Andy Burnham actually said.
www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/andy-burnham-not-opposed-new-30742317
It was a considered speech, there is no ‘split’. It gets more like reading Hello Magazine every day on some media sites.

Exactly Wyllow. This emotionally challenging issue needs calm well informed people. It’s wrong to try and derail a bill that had some of its recommendations been in force, might have saved Sara Shariff

I don’t read what Andy Burnham said as a split. KS ordered his ‘MPs to vote to block a national inquiry because the Tory amendment calling for the investigation would have caused the entire Children and School bill to fall.

Mr Burnham told bbc radio Manchester “in my opinion the government was right to reject that form of opportunism. But I did hear last night coming out of the debate, ministers saying they are open to discussing issues with survivors”

Andy Burnham said he believes there is the case for a limited national inquiry to draw out some national issues and compel people to give evidence, who may then have charges to answer to and be held to account.

Starmer seems to be willing to consider this, if it’s what victims want. I’ve heard many victims and their supporters saying victims don’t want the trauma of interviews etc they want the money and time spent on implementing the Jay report.

It’s inevitable there are strong feelings here. Starmer and Burnham have much more in common in this issue

So - a suggestion that for a limited national review drawing on pre-existing materials from all the local reviews?

Sounds like a good compromise to me.

BREAKING NEWS:
Andy Burnham has split with Sir Keir Starmer to call for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.

The Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester said he believed there was a case for a “limited national inquiry” that draws on local reviews into historic child sexual exploitation.

Actions speak louder than words. Musk opened a TESLA outlet in 2022 in Xinjiang Province in China, where Uyghur women are imprisoned and raped. Don't remember him condemning the authoriies there.

eazybee

^What I want to know is why we never see Muslim women on TV discussing this and speaking out against it.
Wouldn’t you think that at least a few Muslim women would speak out and say they are disgusted with this whole sorry business.
"I don't think we have the right to angrily demand that any woman should have to comment just because demands are made on a social media site they "ought" to."
Is the above quote 'an angry demand', or rather a genuine query?
Particularly since many current statements are increasingly Islamophobic in general, and specifically attempts are consistently being made to frame all grooming and other abuse as Muslim, not across the whole population.
Emotive language ?

The issue of current concern is that the grooming/rape gangs in Oldham and other local areas are predominantly of Pakistani ethnicity, and many are related, plus the difficulty of deporting the offenders following completion of their sentences.
One purpose an enquiry would serve would be to establish whether the frequent excuse from police and social services about their failure to investigate, that is the fear of being labelled racist and apparently 'Islamophobic,' is true. Many threats have been quoted, from loss of votes, withdrawal of council support to threats of actual violence; these need to be investigated and Oldham Council do not feel they have the authority to do this.

Thank you eazybee.

I don’t consider my post to be an “angry demand” either!

On any topic, not just this one, there are always women who are prepared to speak out and stand up for what they believe is right and fair or call out things that are very wrong.

In this case the wives, sisters, daughters, aunts are all keeping very quiet indeed. If my husband, brother or son were involved in anything like this I would be disgusted, ashamed and would have nothing more to do with them.

What I want to know is why we never see Muslim women on ^TV discussing this and speaking out against it.
Wouldn’t you think that at least a few Muslim women would speak out and say they are disgusted with this whole sorry business.
"I don't think we have the right to angrily demand that any woman should have to comment just because demands are made on a social media site they "ought" to."
Is the above quote 'an angry demand', or rather a genuine query?
Particularly since many current statements are increasingly Islamophobic in general, and specifically attempts are consistently being made to frame all grooming and other abuse as Muslim, not across the whole population.
Emotive language ?

The issue of current concern is that the grooming/rape gangs in Oldham and other local areas are predominantly of Pakistani ethnicity, and many are related, plus the difficulty of deporting the offenders following completion of their sentences.
One purpose an enquiry would serve would be to establish whether the frequent excuse from police and social services about their failure to investigate, that is the fear of being labelled racist and apparently 'Islamophobic,' is true. Many threats have been quoted, from loss of votes, withdrawal of council support to threats of actual violence; these need to be investigated and Oldham Council do not feel they have the authority to do this.

The voting record in this debate, particularly abstentions makes interesting reading.

Galaxy

Good grief, I need to vow not to type before I have had my second coffee.

That must be my problem.
I only drink one coffee a day!

Good grief, I need to vow not to type before I have had my second coffee.

Oh and to be honest the most interesting conversations I have seen on the subject are in the likes of the spectator, they seem to have able to raise some really difficult questions.

I to be honest am no more interested in the views of Muslim women on this than I am of the views of plumbers. In other words both groups have a right to their view and I would listen to both. I would really like an honest conversation on this bit it wont happen.

Primrose, your posts lead me to ask do you know, live near or work with any Muslim women? I ask because like many others, I do. My Muslim women colleagues share the outrage towards these men. So does the one woman of Muslim heritage in our family.

I don't think we have the right to angrily demand that any woman should have to comment just because demands are made on a social media site they "ought" to.

Particularly since many current statements are increasingly Islamophobic in general, and specifically attempts are consistently being made to frame all grooming and other abuse as Muslim, not across the whole population. Its insulting to think that not commenting means they support the criminal gangs in any way.

However, if you check out the Labour Women Muslim MP's X posts you will find some have commented. There are also Muslim Womens sites if you care to look.

As far as I am concerned this thread is a discussion on whether we need a further inquiry and I have made my views clear.

Galaxy

How is it racial hatred to listen to an Imman about some of the concerns he has.

It isn't.

It's interesting to listen to different opinions, especially from people who have extensive knowledge of certain subjects.

Wyllow3

Thank you for the link but that’s just one woman from the Muslim Council making a statement. It’s pretty wishy washy anyway.

What I want to know is why we never see Muslim women on TV discussing this and speaking out against it. Especially as it’s been all over every news channel and talk show.Maggie Oliver was on TV a while ago saying that those men who were involved are still accepted in their communities. As we now know, some of these held high positions.

Wouldn’t you think that at least a few Muslim women would speak out and say they are disgusted with this whole sorry business.

Iam64

He’s doing exactly what Starmer feared - winding up anti Muslim feeling. If he’d made similar comments about certain groups of white men or other faith groups there’d be a righteous outcry.

Really. I don't think so somehow. At all.

Ball game😄 damn predictive text.

What are you on about Jeanathome ? There is nobody stirring up racial hatred on here, nor is it vile nor is it toxic.
It may not be to your liking but that’s a whole different board game.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

(about sexual practices).

Why do you think an Immam will know about sexual practices?

Wyllow3’s suggestions at 16.10 today about what an inquiry looking to ‘find some baddies’ to prosecute is likely to find. These horrific gangs were in the late 1990’s when first identified, were new to police and other agencies. What was familiar was the reluctance of the CPS to prosecute. The organisation tends to prosecute sexual abuse allegations where there’s a likelihood of about 80 % success. The victims were seen as vulnerable, unreliable in that they’d make horrific allegations yet return to abusers. Keir Starmer and Nazir Afzal changed that and successfully prosecuted large numbers

Thanks for the link Jeanathome. It was a good programme