Nick Clegg accused of 'cover up' and 'cowardice' as Lord Rennard is cleared

  

Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrats have been accused of "cowardice" by alleged victims of Lord Rennard after the peer was cleared of sexually harassing female party activists.
The former chief executive of the party claimed that he will resume his “old roles” despite senior Liberal Democrats saying they are “not content” with the findings.
An independent review commissioned by the Liberal Democrats said that despite "credible" evidence that he "violated" the personal space of women, it was not enough to prove that he sexually harassed them
The findings, which have been accepted by the Lib Dem leadership, mean Lord Rennard can immediately resume his role on the party body that ultimately oversees the party's policy.
The 53-year-old had been the subject of a criminal investigation after at least 10 women came forward alleging that he had behaved inappropriately towards them.

It was claimed that Lord Rennard had abused his position as a senior figure in the party by sexually touching them or propositioning them between 2003 and 2007.
Alison Goldsworthy, one of the alleged victims, said: "Faced with the opportunity to take strong action, the Liberal Democrats have once more opted for cowardice.
"They have failed to say Lord Rennard's behaviour is unacceptable, they have failed to discipline him and therefore failed to give victims the justice they deserve.
"Since this news became public, people from across the political spectrum have approached me to say that they too had been a victim of someone abusing a position of power. Today's verdict, and failure to take action, sends the message that this behaviour can go unpunished."
Alison Smith, an Oxford University academic and former party worker who was also allegedly harassed by Lord Rennard, said that the Liberal Democrats have "orchestrated a cover-up".
She said: "I am disappointed but not surprised. The [disciplinary] rules were designed to deal with cases like a Parish Councillor who embarrasses the party by making 'off colour' remarks.
"The rules are very heavily biased towards the defendant, and there are no systems in place whatsoever to protect witnesses.
"The Liberal Democrats have much soul searching to do. They orchestrated a cover-up for many years to avoid dealing with the serious and numerous allegations against Lord Rennard.
"If an Independent Inquiry can find the allegations 'credible', but be unable to take action, then it is clear that the Party's current rules and procedures remain unsuitable for dealing with serious abuses of power."
Mr Clegg said: "I want everyone to be treated with respect in the Liberal Democrats and that is why it is right that Chris Rennard has been asked in this report to apologise, to reflect on his behaviour and why he won't be playing any role in my general election plans for the campaign in 2015."


Alistair Webster, the QC appointed to examine the case of Mr Rennard, said that under party rules he could not face disciplinary action over the allegations as the burden of proof would be too high.
Tim Farron, the president of the Liberal Democrats said that he was not “content” with the decision but has “no choice” but to accept Mr Webster’s conclusions. He added that Lord Rennard should apologise to the women concerned.
Mr Farron said: “While this process has not found to a criminal standard of proof that Lord Rennard acted with indecent intent, it is clear that he did not behave in the way that a Chief Executive should behave. Lord Rennard must reflect on his actions and apologise to the women involved.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Lord Rennard, who had always denied the allegations, declined to apologise and said he wanted his old jobs back. He said: “I am pleased that this brings to an end all investigations concerning allegations made against me on Channel 4 News last February.
“The Metropolitan Police also investigated the allegations thoroughly and over several months and found that there was no case to proceed.
“My wife Ann and I are very grateful to our families and many friends both inside and outside the Liberal Democrats who have shown unwavering support throughout.
“I now look forward to resuming my roles within the Liberal Democrats. I remain committed to the same values which made me join the Liberal Party as a teenager more than 40 years ago.”
A closed meeting of party activists and officials on Tuesday night heard Mr Webster’s findings which had been launched after the Metropolitan Police said in September there would be no criminal charges brought against the Lib Dem peer.
Mr Webster said that despite the evidence suggesting that Lord Rennard’s behaviour caused “distress” to a number of women and “violated the personal space and autonomy of the complainants”, party rules would not allow for a disciplinary hearing as it would not be possible to prove the allegations “beyond reasonable doubt.”
In a statement released following the decision he said: “In my opinion, the evidence of behaviour which violated the personal space and autonomy of the complainants was broadly credible.
“However, it is my judgment, considering all of the evidence collected, that it is unlikely that it could be established beyond reasonable doubt that Lord Rennard had intended to act in an indecent or sexually inappropriate way.
“Without proof of such an intention, I do not consider that such a charge would be tenable.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/liberaldemocrats/10574316/Nick-Clegg-accused-of-cover-up-and-cowardice-as-Lord-Rennard-is-cleared.html


     More Liberal party shame.