Their own report tends to belie both the headline and Danczuk's comments; it goes on to say that the then Political Honours Scrutiny Committee had written to Margaret Thatcher explaining that police had investigated Liberal MP Cyril Smith in 1970 for "indecent assault against teenage boys" between 1961 and 1966 when he was a Labour Party Councillor; also that the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) had decided "there was no reasonable prospect of conviction" but that "One may regret this kind of press reporting but it could be revived if an award to Mr Smith were made" (referring to the fact that the case was reported in the Rochdale Alternative Press and Private Eye). Labour Lord Shackleton - who had written the letter - also said it would be "slightly unfortunate" if the revelation meant the Liberal MP didn't receive the knighthood.
I got more info from The Guardian; never thought I'd be using them to show what fucking cunts Sky News are.
Apparently a 2nd letter to PM MT said that the committee had some hesitation about the award but “so far as we believe and have been able to ascertain, his past history or general character does not, in all the circumstances, render him unsuitable” and yet another letter on the topic said Smith had been given the benefit of the doubt because he had not been prosecuted. The then cabinet secretary, Sir Robin Butler asked for more info:
“The case for taking the exceptional step of writing to you in this way is to protect the prime minister (and the Queen) while also being fair to Mr Smith.”I'm sure Simon Danczuk isn't acting like the prize cunt and he certainly isn't entirely partisan (he knows his own party 'are at it' too); maybe it was Sky News that put the headline; however, wouldn't it be true to say that rather than this being "a real stain on Margaret Thatcher's legacy and I don't get any pleasure from saying that, but she turned a blind eye to it" as Danczuk has stated, wouldn't it be fairer to say it was the Cabinet Office/ civil servants, not Margaret Thatcher? Or at the very worst she acted on the various snippets of advice she was given by trusted aides at the time?
He said the committee wanted to know “whether the case against Mr Smith was not well founded; or whether it was a sound case, but that the evidence was not likely to stand up in court”.
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