Smile for the Camera: The Double Life of Cyril Smith

by Simon Danczuk

No politician pandered to the media's appetite for personality more than Liberal MP Cyril Smith. Instantly recognisable for his colossal build, Smith was a larger-than-life character in a world of dull grey men. Yet 'Big Cyril' was anything but the roly-poly gentle giant of popular imagination.In November 2012, Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk outed Smith in Parliament as a serial child abuser. Now, in this devastating exposé, he describes how Smith used his profile to groom and sexually abuse young boys, frequently in institutions he had helped to establish. His victims, often troubled boys from broken homes, had no voice against their attacker and, though rumours abounded, Smith's appalling crimes went unnoticed by the public and unpunished by the authorities.Smile for the Camera is not just about a terrible abuse of power. It's about those who knew that abuse was taking place but looked the other way, making the corridors of Westminster a safe haven for paedophiles like Cyril Smith. This updated edition of the book that sparked a criminal investigation brings shocking new material to light, asking urgent questions of those who allowed Smith to prey on young children for decades without question.

Genres: True Crime, British Literature, Crime, Biography

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 15, 2014

Reviews

[Rob Twinem · Rating 4 out of 5]

For all UK readers of a certain age the name Cyril Smith is "big" in their memory. What is shocking about this book is that so many people including politicians and the police were aware that Smith spent so much of his life abusing those who were in no position to show any form of defence against this 29 stone obese devil incarnate "young boys who were himiliated, terrified and reduced to quivering wrecks by a 29-stone bully imposing himself on them." That this obscene individual was able to perpetrate such vile crime and destroy the lives of so many and not be "outed" or punished during his lifetime is a total injustice and those who had the means to stop him, and for whatever reason did not, should hang their heads in shame!!

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always a little wary about accusing someone of any crime once they are dead but the author presents enough evidence in this shocking book to show that there were plenty of contemporaneous accusations against Cyril Smith decades before his death. Yes he undoubtedly did good work in Rochdale but that doesn't cancel out the abuse meted out to vulnerable boys and young men whose lives he ruined. He was not alone in carrying out such abuse and he seems to have had many high profile protectors who saw to it that all police investigations were simply filed away and not pursued because 'it was not in the public interest' to do so.

It is possible to argue that the culture was different then and that paedophilia wasn't something which was regarded as a crime but that is really no excuse when you consider that sexual contact with anyone under sixteen was illegal right throughout the period of Smith's activities as it is still today. I think it is the wide scale cover up of the abuse which disturbs me the most. Many people in a position to know what was going on attempted to get it stopped and the perpetrators prosecuted but too many of them lost their jobs or were at the very least punished for speaking out and their careers suffered for it.

This is not how it should be in a civilised society. People should be able to speak out and have their concerns listened to and investigated. Yes there will always be a small minority of people who will make up such accusations because they want the publicity but the victims who came forward in this case were believed by police who had great experience of such cases and who were experienced at identifying lies.

This is a horrifying book to read but it does not dwell on salacious details. What it does dwell on, and rightly so in my opinion is the cover up which took place. The MPs who knew what was going on and who did nothing - who didn't 'rock the boat'. The book should be read by everyone who cares about children and by those who want to see people in public life called to account where they have not lived up to the standards expected of them.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

This disgusting and vile pig was obviously protected from a very shadowy apex of uk hierarchy and those involved in his egregious abuses as well as those complicit in assuring this paedophille evaded justice, are equally guilty in an appalling decades long career of criminality. The book isn't well written as the Thorpe scandal book was, but this is a more serious expose of an extremely dangerous man. I assume one day files will be opened that will lay bare a fuller account of this depraved person as well as those that allowed the pig to die a free man. I think it is incumbent on all to seek answers from Clegg and Steele et al., for eulogizing this man as Clegg did and recommending him for a knighthood as Steele did, in the full knowledge that he regularly raped extremely vulnerable young boys. Whilst I would rather not read more about this beast, I should like a book that shines a light into some very dark places, so that we can know exactly who it is that is in our governments and whether or not they should remain so. A filthy tale that needs expanding on, regardless of where that may lead.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a vile man Cyril Smith was! This fascinating account of his double like exposes how corrupt The Establishment really is. How could this man get away with abusing so many young boys and teenagers for so long? He was never held to account in his lifetime. The police were powerless. If that wasn't bad enough, Cyril Smith failed to highlight the dangers of asbestos in parliament and lobby for it to be banned, because he had 1,300 shares in the company, Turner Brothers Asbestos and was taking a share of their huge profits. In the meantime, his constituents were dying extremely painful deaths as a result of being exposed to this 'killer dust'. Cyril Smith comes across as a callous, revolting individual with psychopathic tendencies. His victims were numerous and many of the boys he abused ending up committing suicide or being addicted to drugs. He ruined far too many lives, yet continued to be re-elected. Had the truth about 'Mr Rochdale' come out before his death, I'm sure many more powerful men in our society would have been brought down with him and deservedly so.

[Mick Meyers · Rating 5 out of 5]

The five star rating is the appreciation for the authors in publishing this sordid affair to light.giving voice to a lost generation of young men defiled by this obese excuse for a man.i cannot begin to put into words,about the cover up by the powers that be to let these people die before anything is done.it is still happening now,Weinstein,Epstein.saville and all the others whose crimes it paid other people to cover up.the shadowy government figures,people with money.the lengths.the secret services go to hide a paper trail or threats.there are still those who have not been caught yet.bravo to the authors a must read if very harrowing.

[Llew Sadler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not that confirmation was nessassry

Reading this book only confirmed my already understanding of the depth of corruption & old boys networking that has been , AND STILL IS , going on.
Politicians & heads on our police services all have the same motivation, what can I milk my position for, what can I set my sights on when I leave & right at the bottom is can I do anything for the people I represent?
Some very interesting facts & information came from this book, however, a good proportion is repetitive & can be annoying.

[Kim S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well written, meticulously researched, and brutally damning book. Truly frightening to think of what Cyril was allowed to get away with. Although this book's focus is British politics, I'm sure such sickening things are also happening here in the US, as well as elsewhere in the world. Exposing these people's secrets is the first step towards preventing such atrocities in the future!

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a hard book to review, well researched and written on what is a difficult topic to cover. Shows just how Cyril Smith became so untouchable for his heinous and perverse crimes against children. Let's hope the CPS and police will 1 day learn from their mistakes.

[Mr. A Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A real eye opener. Couldnt put it down

[Mike Whiskey Bravo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ugh. An ugly read. Vile pig.

[Chris Raatgever · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book talks too much about Rochdale politics and not enough about the disgusting things Cyril Smith and others were up to. I enjoyed the book but felt it could have been much more succinct

[Nick Wakeham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read

Books like this should have more general coverage. Things like this are still being covered up by those in power

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Searing indictment of the late Sir Cyril Smith, Liberal MP for Rochdale in the British parliament from 1972 to 1992 who was a serial pedophile, preying on boys and wielding incredible power as a political figure. His crimes were first investigated by Lancashire police in the 1950s until the 1980s, but MI5 and higher ups in the police and various governments covered it all up and protected him, the reasons for which are somewhat unclear. The revelations of Smith's double life, (long the subject of pub rumor in the Rochdale area) began to come out en masse in 2012 by Danczuk, now the Labor MP from the town; (Smith died in 2010). This scandal and a "pedophile network" is now being exposed in the United Kingdom in an ongoing series of exposes.

[Russell Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

The great masses of the people will more easily fall for a big lie than a small one - A Hitler

And in the context of British politics in the 1970s and 1980s there was 29 stone lie wallowing on the Liberal benches, hiding behind the veil of what today would be called localist populism Cyril Smith cajoled, bribed, ranted and bullied on behalf of his Rochdale constituents. While his championing of local issues was highly laudable the fact that he used his position in said constituency to abuse vulnerable boys and young and get away with it until his death will remain a permanent stain on the conscious of the political class.

[Irene Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Smiling Cyril Smith

No wonder he was always smiling .This masn had such s lit yo hide


No wonder this awful man was always smiling he had everyone just where he wanted them.This book is a really good account of this mans activities and the people who covered for him.From covering up the truth about the dangers of asbestos to the terror inflicted by his abuse of young vulnerable boys this mask did it all,and got a Knighthood for it.
There is something rotten at the core of the establishment and it is still being covered up.When will we know the truth and when will people get the justice theory deserve.
A well written book on a difficult and secretive topic.

[Andrew S Hatton]

I am unlikely to read it, but saw a mention of it and so started this entry.

Political Parties can be so fixated on gaining representatives who will carry their banner, that they are not very scrupulous about satisfying themselves of the good characters of those who are capable of electoral success, by just about any means!