MOST of us are probably familiar with the idea that certain national or international issues become classified, or secret, for 30 years.
Every now and again the mainstream news will refer to an incident that occurred during Margaret Thatcher’s time in Downing Street, for example.
But did you know some issues are kept secret for 80 years? These are matters considered to be of still greater importance – a clear threat to national security should they be released earlier. Peace talks during times of war and the ongoing battle with the IRA fall into this category.
And, yes, a tiny number of items are locked away in a vault for 100 years.
These include documents available to the Cullen inquiry after the Dunblane tragedy in March 2006 in which a gunman walked into a school and shot dead 16 innocent children and one teacher, injuring a number of others.
‘Why’ is a more than reasonable question.
Murderer Thomas Hamilton was a lone wolf, crazy guy, wasn’t he, who in a moment of pure evil or mentally disturbed madness committed an almost unbelievable atrocity?
That’s where the problem lies. He wasn’t.
I’m not suggesting Hamilton had coach loads of friends, but he was well known in the community of Dunblane – certainly so to the authorities.
In short, Hamilton was a paedophile. Little or no doubt about that.
He ran boys’ clubs, was involved in the scout movement, took youngsters away on trips, owned a couple of boats.
In the course of investigations into Dunblane, police found 445 photographic slides, 548 photographs and 4,260 photographic negatives at Hamilton’s home at 7 Kent Road, Stirling. In addition, 37 video tapes were recovered which appeared to have been made by Hamilton on a camcorder and depicted scenes recorded at his boys’ clubs. Sixty three pairs of swimming trunks were also recovered.
People often reported to feeling uneasy in his presence. There was something about him they couldn’t quite put their fingers on. Hence, he had a lot of acquaintances, rather than close friends.
Hamilton was known to the police. Infact he had a long running battle with them, not least over his love of firearms.
His liking for guns and his clearly unstable character was a cocktail that was flagged up officially.
Yet warnings were ignored.
It is said that Hamilton stayed on the right side of the law – just. Or it could be that, as in the case of the most notorious paedophile of them all, Sir Jimmy Savile, he knew enough people well enough to ensure he was never turned in.
Hamilton had connections with another school – the Ministry of Defence-run Queen Victoria School. Its patron is Prince Philip no less – you’ll see his name again in a moment.
Reports were made here of boys being taken away by very well-to-do males in fancy cars and returning in states of distress.
Those allegations were made by housemaster Glen Harrison, who strangely enough was not called as a witness to the subsequent public inquiry.
It is believed that Hamilton was providing photographs and also procuring boys for a VIP paedophile ring.
The key word to remember here is ‘VIP’.
For Savile wasn’t protected from prosecution and public scrutiny because he was a popular DJ, brilliant fundraiser or a very good TV presenter.
He was kept safe because he was doing favours to VIPS. He had their backs, so they had his. It’s logical when you think about – otherwise both would go down like a pack of cards.
Savile called it ‘working deep cover’ – he always did like to tease the unsuspecting public by telling us exactly how it worked in a way that went straight over our heads.
I’m not suggesting at all that Hamilton was as clever or charismatic as Savile.
But he knew people in high places. His Freemasonry is a clue to that.
When he was in a fix over his gun licence, there are claims he called on the support of George Robertson, then a lynch pin in Tony Blair’s Labour Government and later a very high-ranking NATO official.
Fellow Mason Robertson reportedly gave Hamilton a glowing refences and, despite many misgivings, he got his licence.
These allegations were spread widely enough for Robertson to sue a Sunday newspaper. He was successful, too, but that doesn’t mean his version of events is necessarily true. That’s all down to the burden of proof.
There are also claims senior politicians from Blair’s team were involved in the paedophile ring itself. For obvious reasons I’m not naming names.
Let’s turn to what happened after Dunblane.
Blair did everything humanly possible to avoid big names being made public – nothing personal, Tony, that’s been the case ever since.
He also found a good man to lead the public inquiry in Lord Cullen, a senior judge and high ranking Freemason.
The inquiry failed totally to get to the root of questions surrounding Hamilton.
What possessed this man to do such a thing? Were there any clues to be drawn from Hamilton’s life?
As I’ve suggested here, it’s not difficult at all to come to the conclusion that Hamilton was a paedophile – but even that was officially discounted.
And yet even within Freemasonry itself, the stink of the cover up refused to blow away.
Lord Burton, former Grand Master of Scottish Freemasonry no less, publicly rubbished Lord Cullen’s findings, pinpointing an elite group within the craft called the Speculative Society as being behind the cover up.
Interestingly Lord Cullen was a senior member of the Speculative Society based at Edibburgh University and that grand old chap Prince Philip was once again the patron!
Public attention was cleverly diverted away from paedophilia by Blair and co and onto handguns.
The laws for possessing handguns were changed to satisfy public outrage over how Hamilton managed to get hold of his weapons, without answering the real question of course.
How DID this shady man continue to get his licence?
That, along with Hamilton’s paedophile life and links with high society, is something we’re never meant to know.
For more than 100 documents from the inquiry have been locked away for 100 years.
Tune in early in 2096 and you might just find out.
Does anyone really think such a cloak of secrecy would be necessary to protect George Robertson if he indeed supported Hamilton’s gun application?
Or to protect the police and education authorities etc who ignored warnings about Hamilton’s behaviour?
Of course not.
There has to be something much greater at stake here.
Something that genuinely qualifies as a matter of national security.
The existence of a paedophile ring consisting of some of the richest, best known and most powerful faces in British society perhaps?
The truth will emerge well before those documents come out of the vault.
It may be a lot sooner than any of us think…….