Are accusations against Lord Sewell simply politically-motivated ‘revenge’ attacks?
Lord Sewel, smoking, as seen from below. The Sun on Sunday is clearly anxious to confirm its ownership of this inoffensive photograph – along with more incendiary evidence against the formerly-Labour peer. But was its release timed to damp down public reaction to allegations about late Conservatives?
Isn’t it convenient for the Conservative Party that the ‘drugs and prostitutes’ allegations against a former Labour peer have been made so soon after four of their own were implicated in child sexual abuse?
A matter of days after ‘lost’ Cabinet Office files relating to the activities of late Conservative politicians Leon Brittan, Sir Peter Hayman, Sir William van Straubenzee and Sir Peter Morrison became public, the Conservative Party-supporting Sun newspaper released photographs and footage, allegedly showing Lord Sewel taking drugs with prostitutes.
An update today (July 27) appears to show him making disparaging remarks about other politicians – although his alleged descriptions of David Cameron as “the most facile, superficial prime minister there’s ever been”, and Boris Johnson as “a joke” seem more likely to win him support than disapproval.
Coincidence?
Of course, it’s possible – and we should not ignore that.
But it is also possible that The Sun may have been holding the evidence, or may have been given it, to try to control damage to the Conservative Party that will be caused by the child sexual abuse allegations.
We know, for example, that the Conservative whip’s office has held information on criminal activities by that party’s MPs, and used it to ensure their loyalty to party policy.
Who knows how many other organisations run a so-called ‘dirt book’?
Considering the opportunities available, it seems obvious that a newspaper like The Sun would have one.
What a shame that such behaviour has nothing to do with bringing criminals to justice and everything to do with blackmail or political advantage.
David Cameron ordered that the Conservative whips’ ‘dirt book’ should be made available to the investigation against historic child sex abuse in January. Nobody seems to have paid any attention to the fact that the mere existence of this book criminalises Cameron’s party as accessory to an undisclosed number of crimes.
The legal reference is in R v J.F.Alford Transport Ltd (1997) 2 Cr. App. R. 326. It was held a reasonable inference that a company, knowing that its employees are acting illegally and deliberately doing nothing to prevent it from being repeated, actually intends to encourage the repetition. This will be a natural inference in any situation where the alleged accessory has the right to control what the principal is doing. We may, therefore, infer this in the case of the Conservative Party.
Isn’t it time all political organisations and national media were ordered to deal up their own ‘dirt books’ – or had them taken away forcibly by the police?
It isn’t good enough that allegations such as those against Lord Sewel are allowed to dribble out when it creates an advantage for their political opponents.
If evidence is held that shows criminal behaviour by the so-called “great and the good”, then let’s get it out into the open now – and clear the filth from both the Green and Red Benches.
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I have a feeling over the next few months, the “manure” will be equally spread across, all political parties.
I suspect the Tories will be a tad wary of being involved in any muck throwing, because they will get a lot thrown back if they do.
Wary? It’s never stopped them before. They have shown themselves to be masters at releasing big stories to obliterate current controversies.
It is high time the House of so-called Lords was abolished altogether.
Surely his stupidly makes him as facile as Cameron?
I’m not particularly sorry to see him go, in and of itself, but it’s a sad look-out that *this* is still the sort of tittle-tattle that causes a political resignation. Think of all the crimes-against-humanity and gross blundering that members of the Cabinet get away with every other week, and indeed George Osborne getting away with precisely the same misbehaviour as Sewell, and this does look distinctly unfair.
I don’t thing that this type of behaviour is restricted to any one party. This idiot was not only a Labour peer, but a Labour government cabinet Minister. Politics reflects the mores of the wider public. It is difficult to find several hundred people to be MPs and Lords who are substantially different from the general population.
I can’t say that I am very concerned about this particular case. I have no strong view on drug taking either way and prostitution is not illegal anyway (only soliciting).
Cases of child abuse and the like are far more serious. I know that these stories of ‘scandal’ appeal to the media, but they are pretty trivial.
I think you’re correct that it isn’t restricted to members of any particular party – I said as much in the article and if anyone wants further proof, they only have to look at George Osborne in that infamous picture with a prostitute and cocaine. I’ll dig it out and publish it below. Osborne is, of course, the current Chancellor of the Exchequer and there have been no attempts to remove him.
As for MPs and Lords not being substantially different from the general population – you’re having a laugh, aren’t you? The difference between MPs and the masses is huge, and between Lords and the masses it is even greater. Here’s a Huffington Post article which explains the issue, relating to the Coalition Government: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/nicholas-mazzei/2015-election_b_6496948.html
Here’s the Osborne photo:
I was really referring to the morals of the public and those in government and opposition. The difference between the alleged Osborne behaviour and Sewel is that Osborne is shown before he was in government.
Perhaps I should call up the image of him at PMQs last November instead, then?
As for morals – are you suggesting that privilege and power do not adversely affect the moral behaviour of many people? So the claim “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely” is, for you, false? Would you set yourself up against greater philosophers than either of us?
@hayfords
“alleged Osborne behaviour” – hayfords, use your bloody eyes and take a good look at the photo above. Osborne is bang to rights – the joke Chancellor who is wrecking the economy of the UK.
We don’t all have an Eton/Oxbridgelike education. Does this mean that these institutions teach a warped sense of entitlement and sociopathology?
This may be somewhat paranoid but as Lord Sewel was such a central figure in the legalisms of devolution and particularly the relationship between Westminster and Holyrood that his public shaming seems suspiciously timeous.
Because elements of the SNP are discussing a second independence referendum?
It’s possible – two birds with one stone, and all that – but I don’t think people would make the connection easily.
I agree with you there Mike the SNP connection at this time is at best tenuous . More likely that it is a snipe at labour to try and divert attention from the much more serious and perverse abuse committed by the 4 Tories.
While I’m no expert on what prostitutes charge, the £200 that the Scum article claims he paid the prostitutes seems very much on the low side to me, especially in London, something that did make me wonder if it was all set up and they were being paid by somebody else to do the dirty on him.
None of the coke disappears from the table.. he was doing it to get some, all while they were setting him up on video
As other commenters have pointed out, something is not quite right here.
Osborne is alleged to have done similar, he is, of course, still Chancellor.
There are, I suspect, many other Lords and MP’s who have taken drugs, some have even admitted it, lets sack ’em. :-)
I do wonder if The Met will get involved.
If they did, would they uncover anything?
Remember the “Fake Sheikh”
Also, would The S#n let The Met get involved.
Are they still on “good terms” as it were?
Questions, questions.
An open goal again for any worthwile MP representing their constituents.
The problem with Osborne, once a coke addict, always a coke addict. Furthermore, our incompetent towel-folding Chancellor controls the UK’s economy, with unfortunate consequences sadly only too apparent. Hopefully should we gain a proper government, one of its first tasks would be to introduce compulsory drug testing.
I’m not bothered about the drug taking, as our drug laws are hopelessly outdated, cost millions in a phoney war and benefit no-one except criminals.
No, it’s the hypocrisy of it all, do as I say, not as I do.
Also, all the trade, arms and personal deals that seem to only benefit a few
It would be great for a group of MP’s with principles to lift the lid and get it sorted once and for all.
I’m not holding my breath.
I see we have gone from an alleged incident when he was a student to being a coke addict. That is a bit of a jump.
Again as Mike says its time they MPs and Lords were all investigated and checked out for abuse, it is a crime and if found guilty should be sacked, tried and jailed. Never to be allowed to sit in or run for Parliament in the future.
As soon as i saw the article was in the Sun i thought i bet that’s a Labour peer to try and distract us with some harmless yet controversial activities rather than look at the vile evil depraved activities they’re covering up and sure enough it was… totally agree with you Mike.
The thing that really bugs me about this cretin and all the others is that, although they resign, they are allowed to keep their peerages. OK, in Sewell’s case it was sheer stupidity being caught out at something that is not appropriate for someone in his position, albeit it not illegal. However, we have jailed perjurers etc, such as Jeffrey Archer, still being Lords. The law passed this year to allow dismissal from the Lords Chanber should automatically mean the removal of the peerage.
The new law only covers activities relating to the HoL, such as expenses. The other way to remove someone is if the Lord serves more than 1 year in prison. What Sewel did is regarded as part of his personal life.
Your getting away from the subject tit for tat X All the politicians be left/right are in a position like the church to dictate to us mere mortals on how to behave!!!
Seriously if Lord Sewell wants to snort coke off a prostitute’s t*ts I have no problem with this I do have a problem when the likes of him and all the rest of the stupid government and religious waaaaars tell us the underpaid and less educated on how to BE
And please do not call the SUN a newspaper
Tories fear Corbyn to win Labour leadership and will pose serious threat to them, unlike the other shower of light tory s**t, so they are trying to undermine the Labour party by doing this, if a tory peer does this, will they be so eager to publish and print it for all the public to see, doubt it!
Is this another “politically motivated” revenge attack – or is it just a statement of facts:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3181783/Did-Jeremy-Corbyn-try-protect-fellow-Left-wingers-implicated-paedophile-scandal.html
Abuse knows no political or class bounds. And in any event, it is the police and security services at the highest level who are ultimately covering it all up at the end of the day.
Left or right, Labour or Tory, it doesn’t matter. And don’t forget Cyril Smith and other top Liberals.
The Cyril Smith investigation was just closed due to lack of evidence.