‘Immediately after Tony Blair appointed Margaret Hodge as the new Minister for Children in his recent reshuffle, phones started ringing among former social workers who had once worked under her. “It’s like putting the fox in charge of the chickens,” one commented in disgust. “A sick joke,” remarked another.

These social workers couldn’t help recalling the inside story of an appalling child sex abuse scandal many of us have forgotten. In 1990, when Mrs Hodge – then Mr Blair’s neighbour in Richmond Crescent, Islington – was the leader of Islington council, these senior social workers had reported to her that a pedophile ring was operating in the borough and that children were being sexually abused in Islington care homes.’

A scandal emerged in 2003, questioning Hodge’s suitability for Blair’s cabinet. At that time, Liz Davies, a social worker, uncovered instances of child abuse in Islington council’s care homes during Hodge’s leadership. Initially, Hodge attempted to conceal the issue, dismissing children in care homes as ‘disruptive’ and even insulting Demetrios Panton, an abuse survivor who came forward. Though she later apologised to Panton, Davies believed her actions rendered her unsuitable for the role of Children’s Minister in Blair’s government.

There’s a revealing interview from 2003, shared by Desiring Progress on YouTube in 2013, featuring Davies discussing the situation and adamantly calling for Hodge’s resignation due to her attempts to suppress the abuse revelations.

Hodge’s handling of accusations related to anti-Semitism is also questionable. Despite her reputation as a competent children’s minister under Blair, her initial response to reports of child abuse was to shield herself rather than prioritize the children’s well-being. This behavior suggests that if faced with similar circumstances today, she might resort to deflecting blame onto whistleblowers rather than taking accountability.

In essence, Hodge’s track record portrays her as deceitful, defamatory, and adverse to genuine concerns for the welfare of vulnerable children. These traits, coupled with her group’s apparent disregard for democracy, call for immediate by-elections to remove her from parliament.

With a past like hers, Margaret Hodge might show a bit more humility

Source: https://beastrabban.wordpress.com/about/

If you would like your interests… published, submit via https://dorseteye.com/submit-a-report/

Join us in helping to bring reality and decency back by SUBSCRIBING to our Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQ1Ll1ylCg8U19AhNl-NoTg SUPPORTING US where you can: Award Winning Independent Citizen Media Needs Your Help. PLEASE SUPPORT US FOR JUST £2 A MONTH https://dorseteye.com/donate/