And as the story unfolded (carefully, piece by piece, no doubt watched over by many communications people), it got weirder and weirder.
As Tim Worstall mused, why were the supposed slave-masters granted bail for such a high profile case? Why the delay between discovery and arrest (a very well-publicised arrest)? What of this previously-little known charity that's at the heart of it all?
And why the secrecy? Why no names of the accused? And why the hell are community leaders being briefed?
Local politicians and community leaders briefed on the case compared their ordeal to people trapped in a religious cult.What community? The victims are said to be British, Irish & Malaysian. The nationality of the captors has not been disclosed (unless to those 'community leaders').
Naturally, scapegoats are to be found wherever possible:
The revelations will lead to questions as to why they were in the country in the first place – and whether police missed opportunities to rescue the women, who were frequently beaten.Women who they presumably knew nothing about?
Scotland Yard Commander Steve Rodhouse ...insisted that the case ‘was not as brutally obvious as women being physically restrained inside an address and not being allowed to lead’ (sic).
Instead it was a ‘complicated and disturbing picture of emotional control’, with the couple using cult-like techniques to apply huge psychological pressure on the women, leaving them terrified to try to escape.Odd. If you think it sounds like a religious cult, well, you wouldn't be the only one:
They are checking whether the pair have ever been members of any well-known religious cults.
Sources suggested that a more likely scenario is that they ran their own mini-cult.Maybe the speculation needs to consider other options.
One thing, however, is clear, and is no doubt expressed with a keen eye to ongoing current events:
Asked about those who might doubt the women’s allegations, he said: ‘I think people have no right to be sceptical. It is clearly different, and unique, and hugely troubling.’Got that? NO RIGHT!
Remind me again. Just who are the slaves here?
The only sensible bets will ride on the higher probability of further clues emerging.
ReplyDeleteWhat really puzzles me is:
ReplyDeleteIf few Bloggers or MSM reporters were aware if this 'little known charity' before yesterday, how the heck could the "slaves" know of them?
I heard some woman from the charity being interviewed on Jeremy Vine the other day. The whole thing is just bizarre.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't surprise me if this all went very, very quiet, and soon.
Julia, we're now getting down to the facts. It's the remnant of some 1970s marxist (no doubt) commune-
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/nov/23/london-slaves-political-collective-captor-police
Of course, I, as the Mail, and many other British media outlets, did during similar events happening in Austria a few years back, blame their Nazi past.
ReplyDeleteThe identities or at least their place of origin of the so called slave owners have been released. From the facts that are emerging which do not appear to be facts but emotional and sensation mongering outpourings nothing is at all clear. The only thing that is clear is that when cultures meet it suddenly becomes plain that those culture have different standards and values and view life in different ways. This points to some of the problems the UK is experiencing which is from the large scale migration of peoples we have seen in the last decade or so. I would hotly contend that that this has not been economically beneficial but would concede that it has been socially very debilitating and for that reason would seek to drastically reduce the numbers of immigrants entering the UK especially of those of the Islamic persuasion as their beliefs are particularly pernicious to societies that do not hold the same beliefs (not that this case has an element of Islam connected to it, as far as I know that is).
ReplyDelete"...how the heck could the "slaves" know of them?"
ReplyDeleteApparently, via TV appearance. Almost certainly on the BBC, which gives airtime to these 'charities'.
Given it's now emerging they are some sort of Left-wing commune, that makes it all the more delicious!
"... blame their Nazi past."
Only if the Left now do a 180 and realign the Nazis as 'Left wing' in their pantheon.
That'll take some doing!
"The only thing that is clear is that when cultures meet it suddenly becomes plain that those culture have different standards and values and view life in different ways."
And yet, this isn't shaping up at all as some Saudi domestic slave case - see Ian's link.
XX "... blame their Nazi past."
ReplyDeleteOnly if the Left now do a 180 and realign the Nazis as 'Left wing' in their pantheon. XX
They are going to find it hard to deny the Nazis were Socialist. It even sais so in their titel.
As I say, the Mail aand others, including the BBC were quick enough to try and blame the Austrian case on a "nazi past", so it MUST be true, the media said so!