![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chrishansenhomeWe've been here before, of course. In many countries, and in many situations, politicians who are gay or bi feel the need to conceal this fact in order to be elected. One might remember Senator Tapper McWidestance, the Idaho senator who was caught soliciting in a men's lavatory at Minneapolis airport. Senator McWidestance…er…Craig repeatedly denied he was gay, in spite of a large body of evidence that pointed to a history of involvement with rent boys and the like.
The Secretary of State for Defence in the coalition government, Dr. Liam Fox, is married. To a woman. His best man, a gentleman named Adam Werritty, has been a close friend for years. Mr. Werritty handed out a business card saying that he was an "Advisor" to Dr. Fox.
The news broke last week about Mr. Werritty's connection with Dr. Fox, and the Tories formed a circle firing outwards. Werritty was not an official of the government, was not paid by the government, and was most definitely not an advisor to Dr. Fox.
However, Werritty has been claiming that he was acting for the Defense Secretary's office when booking hotel rooms in Dubai. He has been taking many trips with the Defense Secretary, and has been present at official meetings (there is photographic evidence). He has no current visible means of support, despite living in a £700,000 flat in London (with a female flatmate, it should be said). He was the director of a charity called Atlantic Bridge that was set up by Dr. Fox, and has now been wound up.
Atlantic Bridge, according to another article, has links to the Tea Party in the United States. So you Americans are also concerned in this.
And, finally, this morning it has been revealed that when Dr. Fox's home was burglarised last year, a man was staying in his flat with Dr. Fox. The man was an overnight guest, says Dr. Fox, and was not Adam Werritty.
Now, taken separately, all these facts would be innocent. And an interview with a political analyst on BBC Radio 4's Today program just now suggests that the innocent explanation was that Dr. Fox felt that he was isolated in the government, and that civil servants were undermining him. In those circumstances, it was only natural that someone that Dr. Fox trusted (ie, Mr. Werritty) would be tapped to assist him in talks with foreign officials and defense companies worldwide.
So we have an impasse. Dr. Fox is being prevented from doing his proper job by the drip-drip-drip of information and, to be frank, gossip that is appearing in the news media. I think that he will end up having to resign because the news media will make it impossible for him to evade or wave off these accusations. If he is not gay, the gossip is malicious and wrong. However, in politics appearance is everything. If it appears that a politician is dissimulating about his own personal circumstances in any way, he (it's often a male politician, but not always) can wave goodbye to his political career.
I would not venture an opinion as to Dr. Fox's sexual orientation. And the assumption that a person is straight unless otherwise specified is still very powerful. But I'm disturbed that politicians seem to think that the possession of a private life (which is important) means that they can separate that private life from their public persona.
Honest integration of one's private and public lives is a good thing. It means that when asked a question about something in one's personal life, a person can answer honestly and truthfully. There is no need to go and hide something just because it's at odds with one's public life. There would be no need to conceal anything, and the news media would have to go find gossip elsewhere.
The Secretary of State for Defence in the coalition government, Dr. Liam Fox, is married. To a woman. His best man, a gentleman named Adam Werritty, has been a close friend for years. Mr. Werritty handed out a business card saying that he was an "Advisor" to Dr. Fox.
The news broke last week about Mr. Werritty's connection with Dr. Fox, and the Tories formed a circle firing outwards. Werritty was not an official of the government, was not paid by the government, and was most definitely not an advisor to Dr. Fox.
However, Werritty has been claiming that he was acting for the Defense Secretary's office when booking hotel rooms in Dubai. He has been taking many trips with the Defense Secretary, and has been present at official meetings (there is photographic evidence). He has no current visible means of support, despite living in a £700,000 flat in London (with a female flatmate, it should be said). He was the director of a charity called Atlantic Bridge that was set up by Dr. Fox, and has now been wound up.
Atlantic Bridge, according to another article, has links to the Tea Party in the United States. So you Americans are also concerned in this.
And, finally, this morning it has been revealed that when Dr. Fox's home was burglarised last year, a man was staying in his flat with Dr. Fox. The man was an overnight guest, says Dr. Fox, and was not Adam Werritty.
Now, taken separately, all these facts would be innocent. And an interview with a political analyst on BBC Radio 4's Today program just now suggests that the innocent explanation was that Dr. Fox felt that he was isolated in the government, and that civil servants were undermining him. In those circumstances, it was only natural that someone that Dr. Fox trusted (ie, Mr. Werritty) would be tapped to assist him in talks with foreign officials and defense companies worldwide.
So we have an impasse. Dr. Fox is being prevented from doing his proper job by the drip-drip-drip of information and, to be frank, gossip that is appearing in the news media. I think that he will end up having to resign because the news media will make it impossible for him to evade or wave off these accusations. If he is not gay, the gossip is malicious and wrong. However, in politics appearance is everything. If it appears that a politician is dissimulating about his own personal circumstances in any way, he (it's often a male politician, but not always) can wave goodbye to his political career.
I would not venture an opinion as to Dr. Fox's sexual orientation. And the assumption that a person is straight unless otherwise specified is still very powerful. But I'm disturbed that politicians seem to think that the possession of a private life (which is important) means that they can separate that private life from their public persona.
Honest integration of one's private and public lives is a good thing. It means that when asked a question about something in one's personal life, a person can answer honestly and truthfully. There is no need to go and hide something just because it's at odds with one's public life. There would be no need to conceal anything, and the news media would have to go find gossip elsewhere.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-10-12 04:20 pm (UTC)"private life" means precisely that: Private. It means that when asked a personal [read: nosy] question about one's personal life, the public person can reply, "that's my personal life, and private". That is truthful, and that should be the end of the issue. You can call that "hiding" if you wish. I think it's keeping one's personal life out of the nosy view of the press, who are only looking for gossip. If someone wants to conceal [ie not put into the public domain / into the press] what they do when they're not going about their public employment, then they should [do] have every right to do so.
There are those who might say "there's no need to conceal anything, unless you're doing something wrong". That is a canard. Those in public employment have the right to a private life when not about their employment work.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-12 05:10 pm (UTC)In addition, if Mr. Werritty is actually more than just a "friend", and Dr. Fox has been subsidising Mr. Werritty's income with public money (there have been questions as to how Werritty has been able to travel first class as much and stay in hotels claiming that he was part of Dr. Fox's office) then his private life is no longer a private matter.
It's a difficult area. I'm uncomfortable if any public servant uses public money to keep his partner. And lying about it is so much worse than just saying, "No comment" or "Mind your own business."
no subject
Date: 2011-10-14 04:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-10-14 04:59 pm (UTC)Yesterday was Margaret Thatcher Milk Snatcher's 86th birthday. I wonder if she remembers how old she was and how much many people loathe her. It was Edwina Currie's 65th birthday yesterday as well. I don't suppose that she got a card from Dame Norma Major or from Sir John Major (68-3/4 years old) either. As a 65th birthday present she was summarily ejected from Strictly Come Dancing (I am told; I wouldn't watch that trash if someone paid me to watch it).