Simon Danczuk - Prizewinning Fraud?

Rochdale’s nominally Labour MP Simon Danczuk will be awarded the Contrarian Prize by the City University, London, on the first Wednesday in December. The MP will address “the wider allegations of a so-called Westminster-VIP paedophile ring that have rocked the British establishment. He will explore how Cyril Smith, the former MP for Rochdale, used his power to  prey on young boys”. Fascinating.

“In ‘Smile for the Camera’, a book he co-authored, he alludes to the fact that Smith could not have acted alone and must have been protected by a wider group of powerful child predators … Simon Danczuk will sign copies of his highly-acclaimed book, ‘Smile for the Camera’, following the lecture”. One has to wonder if City University have read that book, because if they had, they might not have lauded Danczuk so enthusiastically.

As Zelo Street has already revealed, the book, ostensibly co-authored by Danczuk and his then sidekick Matt Baker, made accusations about Smith being pulled over by Northants Police with a stash of child porn in his car. But not only did the force not find any trace of the incident, when they asked Danczuk and Baker to provide evidence to back up their claim, they could not provide any.

That much was bad enough, but in the last few days has come a further blow to the rapidly diminishing credibility of the Danczuk book, one which impinges directly on the subjects he is slated to discuss in his prize lecture, the “so-called Westminster-VIP paedophile ring”. The book tells “it was hardly surprising that ugly networks quickly grew to protect and provide for paedophiles of a high social status”. And there’s more.

“Secret parties, underground grooming activities and vile associations all developed out of the thriving networks and the Elm Guest House in south-west London soon became the centre of a VIP paedophile ring … the Metropolitan Police has confirmed that Cyril Smith visited the premises”. Do go on.

“This was confirmed to me when I was passed the details of someone who was forced to work at Elm Guest House in the early 1980s as a masseur. ‘He knows all about Cyril,’ my source told me. ‘See if he’ll talk to you’ … the man, who was sixteen at the time and understandably doesn’t want to be named, answered straight away”.

Unfortunately for Danczuk, the Guardian reported on Friday that “Doubts have been cast over the Metropolitan police service’s claims that Cyril Smith attended a house in south London which was allegedly used by a VIP paedophile ring … a statement released by the Met to the Guardian on Thursday removed the claim, casting doubt on whether the late MP for Rochdale was ever there”.

The Northants Police claim appears to have been completely made up, and neither Danczuk nor his co-author could back it up with one scrap of evidence. Now the Elm Guest House account appears suspect. So why does Simon Danczuk merit being given a prize? I’m sure he will be able to explain himself to the good folks at City University.