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I don’t need sexual seasoning, thanks

Yesterday I wrote about my sympathy for Ffion and William Hague amidst the media storm and the Hagues’ later statement. As I said at the time of David Laws’ outing earlier this year, I neither know nor care if Hague is gay or bisexual. If he had been unfaithful, then I would be sorry for Ffion, but I still don’t see that it’s any of our business. I simply don’t go with the mantra that if someone is unfaithful to their partner, they will let down their employer or their country.

Last night I was called ‘naive’  by a political journalist and many other names by others. Maybe I will end up looking stupid if it all comes out that the rumours are true. But I think we need to start drawing lines about the sort of intrusion people face from the media.

Of course if an MP were hiding something which might make them open to blackmail, that would be different. But as society has changed and become more socially liberal over the past decade, the days of someone being open to blackmail simply for being gay or pregnant outside marriage have gone. What we now have is blackmail by media, all in the name of transparency, but seasoned with prurience. If an MP is fiddling his expenses or employing an under-qualified friend, then report it. Don’t add on stories of gay lovers, sexy girlfriends or a minor celebrity or criminal who happened to be in the same restaurant or club as them the previous week. Some newspapers seem to have forgotten that they are in the buiness of providing information, not salivation.

This morning many people have been telling any media outlet that will listen to them that Hague made a mistake going public. Even John Redwood has decided to weigh in and question the Foreign Secretary’s judgement. Redwood is a fine one to talk; at least Hague had the judgement and respect to learn the words to the Welsh national anthem when he succeeded Redwood as Secretary of State for Wales, rather than make an undignified show of himself miming gibberish as his predecessor had done.

Of course many people have shared rooms with people they are not related to by blood or marriage. My widowed mother often holidays with friends and they sometimes share for reasons of cost of availability. In my youth I shared rooms and occasionally beds with young Lib Dems male, female, gay, bi, straight or disinterested without any form of sexual contact. Sports players are always sharing rooms when on tour, yet no-one dares to question the appropriateness of the relationships of Beckham, Pietersen or Wilkinson with their colleagues.

It’s probably inviting all sorts of comments to finish with as quote from former Lib Dem MP Lembit Opik. But I couldn’t beat his remark this morning on Nicky Campbell’s radio show. He said, “If all it takes to become gay is to share a room with a mate, then I’ve never met a straight man in my life“.

Related posts:

1. Why my heart goes out to the dignified Hagues