Children's Minister Senator Sam Mezec
In November 2011 we published a Blog Posting entitled "STATE SPONSORED PAEDOPHILIA. It was a statement released by the former (possibly illegally) suspended Jersey Chief Police Officer Graham Power QPM. The statement was released in response to a damming report published by the Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny Sub Panel headed up by former Deputy Trevor Pitman.
The Report was damming on the local State Media for its inaccurate and bias reporting regarding the financial management of Operation Rectangle (Child Abuse police Investigation). It (the report) has been described as "the most defining report of its era" and a shortened version can be viewed HERE with the full report posted HERE.
The former Chief Police Officer's statement in response to the report included the words:
Former SIO Lenny Harper
What he was referring to is the local media's role in reporting how much Senior Investigating Officer, (SIO) Lenny Harper, spent on a Prawn Cocktail in a London Restaurant and diverted the attention away from the public of the horrendous abuse that had been able to go on for decades and covered up by those in authority. The local media was never held to account for its disgraceful propaganda and the Scrutiny Sub Panel's report and recommendations sits on a shelf gathering dust (like most Scrutiny Reports).
Now, almost a decade later, we see history (the media) repeating itself in relation to the proposed memorial (as recommended by the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry) for the Survivors of abuse. The media are attempting: "to divert this debate into discussions concerning the trivia of expense" giving at any opportunity to report how much the memorial is going to cost, and of course a great number of people have followed the media's lead/agenda and are experts on how better the money could be spent elsewhere. A lot of these online self proclaimed money experts seem to only have a view on the money but not on the abuse that was perpetrated, and covered up, for decades.
With that in mind we have decided to publish the interview with the Children's Minister in two parts. This is so those who aren't interested in a solution to bring Abuse Survivors together and find some kind of consensus regarding the memorial they can watch part one (below) and talk about the (media led) money.
For those who are interested in attempting to unite the survivors rather than keeping them divided by "taking a side," either for or against the memorial, then part two of the interview should interest you. Again we have seen, online, so many experts on what's best for Abuse Survivors or not. From our perspective we don't see Survivors as a "one size fit all" we see them as individuals with their own personal experiences. Taking a side does not help their cause, it keeps them divided, and therefore the old "divide a conquer" wins yet again.
Team Voice has been campaigning for Abuse Survivors for more than a decade now, we have published around 600 Blog Postings almost exclusively fighting their corner, exposing the lies and corruption of those in authority. We were instrumental in formulating the Terms of Reference for the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry (IJCI). We have given evidence to numerous Scrutiny Panels both written and oral. We were asked to submit evidence to the IJCI which we did and appeared as a witness in support of Survivors. We were asked by Survivors to sit with them while they gave evidence anonymously at the IJCI public hearings which we happily did. Our support is for ALL Survivors and that means not taking a side when they are in disagreement with each other. Perhaps those who are "taking sides" might want to reflect and ask just how much good they are really doing?
We are conscious that there are some well meaning supporters who are taking sides, and genuinely supporting the Survivors they have been in contact with, but we are also aware that there are "false prophets" among them who want to keep Survivors divided for their own duplicitous agenda so beware.
The Children's Minister has a hell of a task on his hands and is in a unenviable position in attempting to implement the recommendation(s) of the IJCI by commissioning some kind of a (sympathetic) memorial and at the same time not causing any further trauma to those Survivors who are against it. What he is looking for is solutions and not political point scoring and personal attacks from "the usual suspects." We have witnessed some online commenters hijacking this very sensitive, and emotive, subject by those who don't share Senator Mezec's politics in order to sling mud at him. To our way of thinking this is not about politics, it's not about the Minister, it's about the Survivors, what can be done to bring them together and do what's right by them and the good people of Jersey? Those trying to score political points, along with the media, should be holding their heads in shame and certainly are not on the side of the Survivors.
We are pleased to announce that the Minister has agreed to sit around a table with survivors, both for and against the memorial, in order to see if some kind of a consensus/agreement can be met and we will look to make that happen in the very near future.
A big thank you to the Minister for sitting down in front of a camera, on a Sunday afternoon, in order to try and navigate the public through this very controversial, sensitive and emotive subject.
We hope those with an interest in finding a solution, and uniting the Survivors, will watch part two of the interview (below) and hopefully have some constructive feedback on a positive way forward which we are sure the Minister would take onboard. For those with an interest in part one don't bother watching part two.
