Lift the lid on child sex abuse
Cops who had evidence implicating MPs and others in child sex abuse were threatened with the Official Secrets Act if they did not drop the cases.
A scandal was covered up with the connivance of the police, the intelligence services and senior politicians. But that facade is starting to crack.
Tory home secretary Theresa May repeated in parliament assurances that the act should not stop anyone from giving evidence to the inquiry into child sex abuse.
David Cameron repeated the reassurances. It was guff.
An amendment to a crime bill would have given immunity from prosecution only in relation to historical incidences of child abuse.
But May and most of her coalition colleagues blocked it.
The threat of using the Official Secrets Act to prosecute people who give evidence to any inquiry should of course be lifted.
But Socialist Worker goes further. The Official Secrets Act should be abolished.
Its only purpose is to protect those at the top from having to reveal what they are up to.
The security services should release all their files on politicians living and dead. Political parties’ whips should do the same.
The full truth of the child abuse committed and covered up by the establishment may not come out.
But we should have no truck with attempts to keep that truth hidden.