See at →Sky News: Martin Brunt questions Gordon Brown about involvement in McCann case:
SkyNews Martin Brunt: You seemed at one point, quite early on, to take a personal interest and actually spoke to Mr and Mrs McCann, perhaps on more than one occasion. I just wondered what it was particularly about the parents of Madeleine that so captivated you.
PM Gordon Brown: I think every father and mother in the country felt for the McCanns and for such a thing to happen to any family would be awful and for them to have to go through this is something I felt I was very sorry about and I wanted to convince them that we were doing everything in our power given that we were not the investigators, given that we were not the police authorities to help them through this difficult time. I talked initially to the relatives of the McCanns and then I talked to Mr. McCann himself and I tried to reassure them that we were doing everything we can.
Brunt: Did you know them, was it the Scottish connection?
PM Brown: I hadn't known them before but I knew I knew them, I did know. They came obviously through, through, through those people but obviously for the parents it's the worse nightmare. (He stuttered very, very badly over this question.)
Brunt: Gerry McCann said recently, I think, that if Madeleine had disappeared in Britain he felt the family would know the answer about what had happened to her. Now British police aren't always wonderful but it struck me on a number of vists out there that if she had disappeared in a tsunami or an earthquake Britain would send all its experts to help out. Why can't we on those occasions like her disappearance send our top detectives, who did offer to go. But, what are the protocols that stop it happening on those occasions?
PM Brown: You may be right. I talked to the Portuguese Prime Minister about this and we offered expert people from Britain, some of the offers were actually taken up, but not, because at the end of the day it was a police investigation of the Portuguese authorities. But I know the Prime Minister of Portugal well and he was concerned to assure us that everything possible was being done. You couldn't speculate about what might have happened in different authorities where there are different borders and we just do not know yet what actually happened. But what I do know is that the sympathies of the people of Britain are with a family who undergoes something that you hope never happens to you.
See also The Story behind the Story.
Some official websites of the UK Freemasonry:
Website Provincial Grand Lodge of Dorset → What is freemasonry?
“What is Freemasonry? Freemasonry can lay claim to be the world’s oldest secular fraternal society being an association of men concerned with moral and spiritual values. Members are taught its precepts by a series of allegorical plays or lectures, which follow ancient forms, and use stonemasons’ customs and tools as symbolic guides. The Three Great Principles. For many years Freemasons have followed three great principles:
Website UK freemasons → About freemasonry
“The Structure of Freemasonry
Local Freemasons meet in local Masonic Lodges in Masonic Halls within their community. Members of the approximately 9,000 Masonic lodges in the UK meet in approximately 950 Masonic Hall some of which have been purpose built and other converted from other buildings such as churches, cinemas, hotels etc. In England all these lodges are grouped around 47 Provincial Grand Lodges, generally based on the old county structure. From there the Provincial Grand Lodges come under the jurisdiction of the United Grand Lodge of England based in Queen Street London. Far from being a united conspiracy propounded by many theorists Freemasonry quite straight forward. Overseen by the Grand Lodge in each specific country United Grand Lodge of England is the premier Grand Lodge. The Grand Lodges in each country are the administrative function providing a common set of rules and regulations under their jurisdiction. In most cases, the members of a Grand Lodge have formerly served as Master of one or more of its constituent Lodges and are elected to serve at Grand Masters donating their services to helping with central administration and other clerical services as required.”
Website → Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire and Rutland
“The Provincial Grand Lodge of Leicestershire and Rutland is responsible for administering Freemasons’ Lodges that meet in the Leicestershire and Rutland area. In Leicestershire and Rutland, we have nearly 3,000 members meeting in Lodges across the two Counties. Our Headquarters are based on London Road, Leicester.”
Website: Who is Who of the **United Grand Lodge of England**
Website: The Official Journal of the **United Grand Lodge of England**
Royals are Grand Masters →Duke of Kent: “THE GRAND MASTER, HRH THE DUKE OF KENT, HAS OPENED THE RMBI’S FULLY REFURBISHED, STATE-OF-THE-ART CARE HOME AT JAMES TERRY COURT IN CROYDON. Also at the ceremony were the Mayor, Cllr Yvette Hopley, residents of the home, and guests and volunteers from the masonic community. The Duke toured the home, joined by Surrey Provincial Grand Master Eric Stuart-Bamford and Deputy PGM Derek Barr. Also present were RMBI President James Newman, former President Willie Shackell, who presided during the rebuild, and Chief Executive David Innes. Following the £10 million refurbishment, James Terry Court can now house 76 residents and has 13 apartments for independent living. Surrey masons have generously supported the redevelopment: Springfield Lodge, No. 6052, donated £75,000; a local ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign raised more than £25,000; and The Grand Stewards’ Lodge donated £20,000. The Association of Friends of James Terry Court also provides substantial support each year.”
The →Royal Alpha Lodge; Picture links to Freemasonry Today The Grand Masters 50-year anniversary at the Royal Alpha Lodge. The honoured Duke of Kent is the fourth peer sitting from the right in this picture.
A NUMBER OF →FREEMASONS HAVE BEEN HONOURED IN HM THE QUEEN'S NEW YEAR'S HONOURS LIST 2014
Article 01 March 2007 →THE HEART OF FREEMASONRY: “The Pro Grand Master in conversation with Michael Baigent. “Freemasonry is a system of becoming; becoming something better than you are now”. Lord Northampton spoke with great enthusiasm. “And above all, Freemasonry is a system which teaches us to be openhearted”. Rather than rush through an interview in the midst of a frenetic day at Freemason’s Hall, the Marquess and Marchioness of Northampton invited me to stay at their home in southern Warwickshire, Compton Wynyates, in order that we might be able to discuss Freemasonry in a relaxed and congenial manner. I welcomed the opportunity to see them in the home they love, amongst the countryside where twenty-eight generations of Lord Northampton’s family – the Comptons - in direct male descent, have lived since at least 1204. …”
Article 06 December 2013 →Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys: “REGENCY CELEBRATIONS HONOUR RUSPINI: THE ROYAL MASONIC SCHOOL FOR GIRLS HELD A REGENCY DAY IN HONOUR OF CHEVALIER RUSPINI, THE FOUNDER OF THE SCHOOL AND THE ROYAL MASONIC TRUST FOR GIRLS AND BOYS (RMTGB). The organisations date back to 1788, when Ruspini established a small orphanage school in London, supporting just 15 girls. Today, his legacy continues with a flourishing independent school and a national masonic charity, which last year supported more than 12,000 children and young people. The 225th anniversary celebrations saw staff and pupils dress up in Regency-style clothing, enjoy an 18th-century lunch menu and take part in period activities. RMTGB staff joined in the festivities. To find out more about the work of the Royal Masonic Trust for Girls and Boys visit their website.”
Same day, 06 December 2013: HRH THE DUKE OF KENT REFLECTS ON THE BICENTENARY OF THE ROYAL ARCH AS IT RAISES MORE THAN →£2 MILLION FOR THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS. “This October we marked a major milestone in the distinguished history of the Holy Royal Arch. While celebrating this landmark I particularly wish to mention the success of the Royal Arch Masons 2013 Bicentenary Appeal for the Royal College of Surgeons. I am impressed to hear of the tremendous support the companions have given to the appeal. In my speech at the Supreme Grand Chapter meeting in April this year I mentioned that the appeal would remain open until the end of the year. However, I am pleased to announce that the amount donated and pledged so far is £2 million. This exceeds expectations and I congratulate you. I also know that the College president, Professor Norman Williams, is extremely grateful to companions for helping to fund the College’s successful Research Fellowship scheme at the same time as maintaining their clinical leadership. To mark this special celebration I intend to make additional first appointments to past Grand Rank on the scale of one for every Province or District. It is my hope that Grand Superintendents, upon whom I shall rely for advice in the selection of suitable companions, will ensure that so far as is possible the companions so honoured will be those who have carried out significant work for the Royal Arch Appeal for the Royal College of Surgeons or have made a significant contribution in some other way to this year’s celebrations. I know we all wish the Order continued success for the next two hundred years!”
Websites on “Scottish rite”: The →Scottish rite of Freemasonry (USA), see also wikipedia in general →Scottish_Rite. You also may have a look at the Video →Scottish Rite Masonry.
See BBC article →Guernsey Freemason list criticised by Grand Master:
“The head of the Freemason movement in Guernsey has hit out the publication of a list of lodge members in the island. The list was posted on an internet forum and includes the names of a number of former and present politicians, jurats and bailiffs. Provincial Grand Master David Hodgetts said the publication of the list raised issues regarding data protection laws. He said: “It shouldn't be published and if somebody has published something, maybe they'll be prosecuted.” He added that he felt disclosure of membership should be optional. The list of members was circulated on Twitter shortly after the general election in April. Jurat Hodgetts said public perception of the group was misinformed, and stated: “I know there's nothing evil about Freemasonry.” He added: “We are in danger of being accused of trying to advance ourselves by saying we're a Mason, and if we don't say we're a Mason then we're secret and we've got something to hide.” He said: “The thing about Freemasonry that people aren't concentrating on is the fact that the only organisation that gives more money to charity is the National Lottery in the United Kingdom.” He said: “We're about trying to make ourselves better citizens, in fact we promise to do so. We raise money from our own pockets for charity - that's what Freemasons are about.” Guernsey's politicians are currently not required to declare membership of the Freemasons.”
Wikipedia lists some notable freemasons at →List A-D and →List E-Z. See also Wikipedia on →Freemasonry.
Sir Jimmy Savile was also a Freemason: →New York Times, Jimmy Savile, TV Personality, Dies at 84: “Jimmy Savile, an acclaimed English television host whose dress, hair and verbal flummery made all other comers in a nation renowned for eccentrics look like Puritans, was found dead last week at his home in Leeds, in the north of England. He was 84….The West Yorkshire Police told The Associated Press that they had been called to Mr. Savile’s home that day and found him dead from what appeared to be natural causes….Mr. Savile was the longest-serving host of “Top of the Pops,” broadcast on the BBC from 1964 to 2006 and featuring the chart-topping singles of the week. He was seen regularly from its debut until 1984…To Britons, though, Mr. Savile was ultimately better known for “Jim’ll Fix It,” a BBC television show broadcast from 1975 to 1994. On the show he granted supplicants (usually children) their dearest wish: to tame lions, to fly the Concorde, etc. This despite the fact that by his own account, he did not care for children. “I couldn’t eat a whole one… . I hate them,” he once said in a widely quoted interview. Mr. Savile came from a threadbare background but seemed to have transcended his roots….Mr. Savile was also widely known for charity work, and was reported to have raised more than £30 million (about $48 million) for hospitals and other causes. This, apparently, gave Queen Elizabeth II plausible deniability for knighting him in 1990. He also belonged to Mensa and the Knights of Malta…”
Freemasons at Funeral of Jimmy Savile →The TapBlogspot
The 1999 official UK House of Commons Report →FREEMASONRY IN PUBLIC LIFE.
→Publication of Parliament, Column 853-855, Secret Societies (Declaration), Mr. Chris Mullin (Sunderland, South), Date: 1992-07-01
→PaddyFrench, A MASON-FREE ZONE? “THE NORTH Wales Child Abuse Tribunal cleared freemasonry of any involvement in covering up child abuse. But why did some fascinating information about the brotherhood never come to light? Why did the Tribunal’s own leading counsel not declare that he was a mason? And why was there no mention of a police lodge during the public hearings? Rebecca Television investigates the claim that the North Wales Police was “a mason-free zone”.”
The Telegraph →Freemasons millions aren't true charity, 25-Feb-2014:
“Freemasons will be denied a multi-million pound tax break after a judge ruled that their governing body was not sufficiently “philanthropic” to be exempt from VAT, despite being the second largest charitable donor in the country. The United Grand Lodge of England, which in 2010 donated more than £82 million to good causes, was told that its emphasis on caring for fellow masons meant its giving was not “wholly philanthropic”. Judge Charles Hellier noted that only between 25 and 30 per cent of the Grand Lodge’s charity donations go to causes with no Masonic connections. “To the extent that monies were paid with the hope or expectation of self-insurance, their payment does not seem to us to be an act of philanthropy,” he ruled. The United Grand Lodge of England represents about 250,000 Freemasons, belonging to 8,000 lodges. In 2010 it gave money to organisations including the Royal College of Surgeons, Help the Hospices, the Red Cross and the Air Ambulance Service….The Grand Lodge argued that Freemasonry’s “peculiar system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols” is driven by principles of high moral standards, charitable giving and positive community involvement. It said its “aims of philosophical, philanthropic and civic nature” benefited the public in general and all Masons were expected to treat giving, truth and brotherly love as “a personal rule of life”. Belief in a “supreme being” is a requirement for all Freemasons. Quentin Humberstone, the Grand Lodge Treasurer, said the rituals for which Freemasonry is most famous were nowadays “generally something for the few”. Judge Hellier said that, despite the craft’s charitable giving, the promotion of Freemasonry remained one of its primary objectives. He said its emphasis on mutual benevolence could not be regarded as “wholly philanthropic”.”
The Independent on →How gangs used the freemasons to corrupt police: “….Project Riverside, a 2008 report on the rogue private investigations industry by the Serious Organised Crime Agency, also claimed criminals attempt to corrupt police officers through Freemason members in a bid to further their interests. Concerns over the influence of freemasons on the criminal justice system in 1998 led former Home Secretary Jack Straw to order that all police officers and judges should declare membership of the organisation. However, ten of Britain’s 43 police forces refused to take part and the policy was dropped under threat of legal action. In England and Wales, the Grand Master of the Freemasons is Prince Edward, Duke of Kent. The United Grand Lodge of England declined to comment last night. The Independent revealed last week that Operation Tiberius found that organised crime syndicates such as the Adams family and the gang led by David Hunt were able to infiltrate the Met “at will”…..”
Save our Glen on →Do Norwegian statistics show that 88 Scottish Judges or Sheriffs are Masons? (PDF-File)
See also: The Independent →The other hacking scandal: Suppressed report reveals that law firms, telecoms giants and insurance companies routinely hire criminals to steal rivals' information.
See The independent →Alarm over secret Catholic 'mason' group, 26-Sept-1999: “HOME OFFICE ministers are becoming increasingly concerned about the secretive activities of a group of Catholic “Freemasons”, the Catenians. A special report by the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee has highlighted fears that members of the Catenian Association, which is thought to include top-ranking police officers and judges, are using their influence to pervert the course of justice. …. Acting on the advice of the Committee, the Government has ordered the police and judiciary to set up their own databases listing membership of masonic lodges. But individuals are under no legal obligation to reveal their masonic links; and the database will not cover Catenians. The report, Freemasonry in the Police and the Judiciary, states: “It is estimated that they [the Catenians] number around 11,500. Although this figure shows that the Catenians are far fewer in number than the Freemasons, this does not mean that similar concerns are not raised relating to their influence on the criminal justice system. Where points of principle relating to secretive societies are made in this report, they apply equally to other organisations of the same nature.” …..The organisation, which was founded in 1908 in Manchester as the Chums Benevolent Association, has its own website. This describes the organisation, which operates worldwide, as a brotherhood that meets to “foster and develop social bonds among members and their families”. The Catenian Association is quick to quash any parallels between the activities of its members and those of Freemasons. “Like most organisations we regard information such as our list of members as privileged,” added a spokesman. “I don't like to use the word 'secretive' but many people would not answer if you asked them if they were a member. It's not like being a member of a tennis club.””
Tom Minougue on Scottish →Freemasonry Critics: “As I enter my 69th year I am surprised that in the second decade of the twenty first century there is no debate on the corrosive effects the ancient practices of freemasonry have on Scottish life. I say corrosive as my personal experiences of freemasonry have, in the main been negative. My antipathy towards freemasonry may be because I have lived all my life in Scotland where there are more freemasons per head of population than any other country in the world, and where the Craft has a link to sectarianism through Orangeism. Perhaps I am more sensitive to such things being Irish descended and nominally at least RC, but another Irish-descended man, felt the same way as I do about secret societies. The following is a verbatim extract from a speech that President John F. Kennedy gave at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on April 27, 1961, to the American Newspaper Publishers Association. The speech was entitled: “The President and the Press”. “The very word “secrecy” is repugnant in a free and open society; and we are, as a people, inherently and historically opposed to secret societies, to secret oaths and secret proceedings. We decided long ago that the dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts far outweighed the dangers which are cited to justify it….”.
Dito in The Courier → Fife campaigner’s call to reveal Freemasons in the legal system
Watching Site: →Freemasonry Watch Org. “The MOST popular definition of Freemasonry states that it is 'a unique system of morality, veiled in allegory and illustrated by symbols'.” A lovely detail had been found here →Queen Elizabeths nurse wears a masonic belt.
David Icke on →Paedophilia and Satanism- the fabric of the web.
Website →fallingmasonry “FALLING MASONRY Shining light on the Corruption and Deceit of the Freemasons”
fallingmasonry lists some notable freemasons in the UK:
see also →Justice Denied, Freemason and ex North Wales Police Superintendent Gordon Anglesea arrested by operation Pallial for historic child abuse (16. Jan. 2014)
Website →CharlieFoulkes: Sir Jimmy Savile the Establishment's Favourite Paedophile:”…Freemasonry & Satanism: Jimmy Savile was a Knight of Malta, in addition to his two knighthoods, OBE and honorary degrees. This is how we reward paedophiles in our society. At present the Wikipedia pages on Freemasonry say that the degree of Knight of Malta is “is universally associated with the Masonic Knights Templar”. It IS a Masonic honour and Savile was a high-ranking Freemason. When are we going to grow up enough as people to understand that our world is controlled by these evil criminals? They are in the police force, judiciary, media, social services, clergy AND royalty. Not all police officers are freemasons, for example, but the higher up they are in the force, the more likely they are to be so. There are enough in key positions to effectively control society. This explains the cover-ups and tolerance of other “brothers” wrong-doings. Whilst Freemasonry at the lower levels may be little more than a dinner club at the higher degrees it is pure evil. I would urge anyone who has reached this far in the article to investigate the connections between Freemasonry and Satanism….“
Website →topsecretwriters: An exclusive interview with an anonymous freemason
Youtube Videos:
The importance of Freemasonry in UK may be seen very different from freemasonry in other industrial countries. E.g. in Germany there are about 15000 freemasons in 80 millions inhabitants. Which results in about 0,02% of population. In the UK but there are 300000 freemasons in a 60 millions people population resulting in about 0,5% being freemasons. From economic reasons we also know for every industrial country, that the top elite accounts for not more than maximum of 0,1% of the population. (Economically this number results from the calculable fact that one needs at least about 1000 people dependent working in some direct or indirect way to earn a net income of 1 million pounds a year.) This number is also provided through national income and wealth statistics. This again means about max. 80000 people for Germany or 60000 people in the UK. Or again in other words: For Germany the numbers of freemasons/per Upperclass-ppl is less than 20%, in UK but it is an astonishing 500%.
In other words, freemasonry in the UK is by a factor of 25 times stronger and thus influential as e.g. in Germany. It is organized in 9000 Lodges and 950 Freemason Halls. This in practice means that virtual every UK community has its own lodge, practically every town of any importance even has his own masonic hall. Again it is a commonly known fact, that those 9000 UK lodges definitely will resemble the most influential and wealthy people, private and officials, from the community in question. Especially in their top management, as influence in freemasonry organisation in practice is always closely linked to the amount of donations you are able and willing to give to the organisation. So the Top UK Grand Master is the Duke of Kent, and thus Royals today have leading influence in UK freemasonry. Definitely the official members lists but are held secret, the same of course applies for every conversation, conventions and agreements made within the lodges.
Those issues in bulk but give striking evidence to doubt the role of UK freemasonry to be a organisation of pure “charity” and of “free speach” under some secured secret circumstances. In medivial times free speach under secrecy was a need of course, as any wrong word against Nobility and Royals often resulted in prosecution and finally hangings on market places. Thus Freemasonry was an invention made by middle class people, like stonemason, to provide them with secureness against suppression, exploitation and prosecution by the Nobility.
With the rise of democracy but this special safety by a secret society was not needed any more. It is just the other way around: Democracy should guarantee freedom of speech and freedom of suppression, exploitation and prosecution by the elites through openness and traceability especially of the elite's doings (which means e.g. free press, independence of justice, Freedom of Information (Act) and much more). A secret society of the size and power of UK freemasonry with practically the whole upper class being involved but clearly contradicts those principles of democracy. One may say, freemasonry in UK was capture by Nobility for some reason. A reason, by common sense, lying on hand.
Freemasonry being a middle-class tool to establish some democracy in medieval times, today it has seemingly become a tool for UK nobility to resume and conserve the old privileged rules of the elite into modern times.
You may see also some remarks at Disclaimer on Conspiracies and Corruption. Freemasonry, from just common defintions, alway complies with a Conspiracy (which may be legal) but it is always unclear (due to secracy) if it also complies with Corruption (which is illegal).
As a sample we may consider some ordinary middle-class people who meet regularly in private, say for “playing cards”. Of course those people won't do just playing cards but also may talk about nuch other issues. And they will sometimes make some private adjustments and small business. Well this in most cases will be o.k..
But now think of the same situation if those group consists e.g. of the mayor of the city, the most prominent architect and the two largest building constructors, and the checker of finance of this city. In most cases, just from common sense, those meetings may be doubted at all.
You may now find out that 80% of all public constructions in this city involves one of the firms associated with the architect and/or the two building constructors. Could there be a conspiracy to corruption, which means making private deals to the commitment of a third, here the public? You'll bet. But in a state of law it will be you to prove it →”beyond any reasonable doubt”. Now this will be not very easy, as involving the checker of the city the official files of all past public constructions will be in best order. And of course, if true, the mighty mayor will use all his good contacts to avoid an appointment of an official prosecution. A thing easily to be done especially if you get knowledge, that also main police officers, judges and even the prosecutor himself may be “playing cards” in the alleged group.
see also the top management's connection with the UK nobility:
Grand masters of the United Grand Lodge of England:
When the Grand Master is a member of the royal family it is customary to appoint a Pro Grand Master:
See also →UGLE who's who
Grand Masters of the Grand Lodge of Scotland
There is also the Grand Lodge of Ireland
For International Connections see →List of Masonic Grand Lodges; →UGLE
Excerpt from Handbook of Masonry, page 183: You must conceal all crimes of your brother Masons…and should you be summoned as a witness against a brother Mason be always sure to shield him…It may be perjury to do this, it is true, but you're keeping your obligations.
Some Websites with information on the special background regarding the Maddie case:
See also Videos:
“Gordon Brown Masonic Handshake”
search?q=V9u97-LBgSQ&btnI=lucky
“Nearly everyone on UK paedophile ring list is a Freemason says abuse victim”
search?q=6m-5BUNXfNU&btnI=lucky
The following four graphs show the main supporters, some more some less, to the McCann's and their seemingly relationships. Obviously there is an intimate connection which focusses on the Scottish-Freemason-Labour Party associations. The four graphs are made from the same graphml-file which can be downloaded and used with the approbiate software (see at the bottom). By clicking on the actual graphs one will get a full resolution picture on screen to zoom in. They will be updated from time to time with some more information when available. Please feel free to provide further informations on the issue.
To work further with the forencis tool:
Download yEd-Graphics File: → scot-con.graphml
Download → yEd Program freeware