The right wing press has, once again, shown itself to be brazen in their vindictive hounding of Lib Dem MPs over their private lives, the latest victim being Chris Huhne who’s split from his wife of 26 years after a year-long affair with another woman.
The correct response is, of course, to ignore it – politics, like journalism, is a high pressure business and – regretably – politicians are no more immune to these things than the rest of us. If we were to demand everyone who ever had an affair stood down from their job, the queues to sign on would be a good deal longer than they are. It’s a private issue for the Huhnes.
But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of a laugh at the sanctimonious bilge being spouted.
Daily Mail journalist Laura Collins says
It used to be that when politicians in office were exposed for having affairs they resigned.
Really? When was that then, Laura? It has happened occasionally – normally for personal reasons – but when it was ever the norm? Certainly not in the 1960s. Profumo’s affair with Christine Keeler was never a resigning matter, but when he was caught out lying to parliament he had to go.
In the same paper, Simon Walters claimed that Chris was nicknamed “Seven homes Huhne“. Don’t remember that nickname, Simon. Could that be because it’s only ever been used once, in a Daily Mail article in September 2009 having a go at the Lib Dem’s mansion tax proposals?
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46 Comments
I just feel so sorry for his family and close friends who are the collateral damage in the newspaper’s attack. Our media are starting to sound so sanctimonious and we all know what womanising, boozing characters work on those papers! Or have they all reformed and turned into saints now? The depths they go to to sell their garbage also reflects the minds of their target audience. Obviously none of them have a very high regard for their readers either – it is about time that the readers realised that and stopped being suckerred in to these shenanigans!
I think Chris Huhne has broad enough a pair of shoulders just to shrug them and carry on carrying on.
I’m quite sure they have.
This is the first instance which could reasonably be termed as private life. At the root of the Laws matter was his using the public purse to maintain a certain image with friends and family. Alexander was accused of swinging the lead with expenses (I disagreed).
Ain’t Huhne’s wife and children the victims?
National politicians have, by having control of the country’s fate, moved the boundaries between the personal and public. Unless Huhne has been claiming marriage is a bourgeoise construct or, a la Gordon Brown, blocking any photographs of his children, he has used his family for whatever slight electoral gain.
Where did the photographs, on Order-Order, come from?
Surely, if the best approach is to ignore it, then you didn’t need to repeat their story and make this post?
@Kehaar Try looking a bit further back. Mark Oaten and Simon Hughes come to mind.
Paul – much as I’d like to think LDV is influential, once a story has been in the mainstream media read and seen by millions, something being read here by a few hundred or thousand people is neither here nor there in terms of the reach of the story. Pointing out the incompetence of certain sections of the media (much as it often feels like shooting fish in a barrel) is worth it.
Yes, that is quite far back. There’s been a certain lack of interest, and it’s over only the past couple of months that it’s heated up. What does this coincide with?
Simon Hughes is not the best example in an appeal to “respect for others’ private lives”.
In the 1950s, when people who had been divorced were considered the lowest of the low, the fact that Anthony Eden was divorced was tolerated. As was the fact that a newcomer Tory politician, Margaret Thatcher, had married a divorced man.
Yes, Iain is right. MacMillan didn’t mind his ministers messing around at Cliveden, or his wife having a longstanding affair with a fellow MP (who was bisexual), as long as they adhered to the 11th Commandment: “Thou shalt not get caught.” Once Profumo actually was caught, he had to go. As did Lambton and Jellicoe, a decade later.
Among the upper and upper-middle-classes, having affairs has always been a normal part of life (provided one is discreet about it). At the same time, the lower orders were and continue to be expected to be paragons of virtue, any hint of hanky-panky eliciting outrage and righteous excoriation.
When my father was at Cambridge in the 1930s, he witnessed public school boys getting drunk every night, assaulting policemen and generally causing mayhem, and getting away with it every time. If a young man where my father lived in South London had done anything remotely similar, he would have been birched.
The “Daily Mail” is appealling to their readers’ envy. They wish they could have affairs with glamorous PR gurus, but are stuck with boring suburban wives.
Be under no illusion. The Liberal Democrats are under concerted attack from the media and their paymasters. Stand by Vince Cable, stand by Steve Webb.
@Sesenco
That was a sensible post. Your warning that every single piece of information that can be dug up about Liberal Democrats and twisted into something dirty is plainly true. We are disliked by broad swathes of the media; that we now have real power means that the media cannot ignore us either. A rough ride is to be expected. Lib Dems should try to keep above it all, in as far as possible.
However, the media would be stark, staring mad to expect no comeback, should a government with a reforming agenda manage to find the time to get around to thinking about the news media. The fact is that large parts of the Conservative hinterland hate the BBC and having large parts of the print media going after the Lib Dems as hard as they can, just creates a coalition of interest.
“The correct response is, of course, to ignore it …
But that doesn’t mean we can’t have a bit of a laugh at the sanctimonious bilge being spouted.”
Until I read the last three words I thought you were going to make a different point entirely!
Children, perhaps. Wife? That’s guessing a lot about what happened, with no more than a 50% chance of being correct. I don’t think it’s appropriate to speculate about.
That being said, though, this is clearly a story that one could argue is in the public interest and it is certainly not an unfair story or one that is untrue. Not that it changes my opinion of Chris Huhne one jot, either. He has an important job and must simply keep ploughing full steam ahead.
@sesenco
I cannot believe any person would write such vindictive class-based comments. Upper and upper-middle class people having affairs as common place whilst working class people are attacked for the same thing is the largest amount of unsubstantiated drivel I have read on this site and to think you managed to compact it into one vitriolic paragraph!? Clearly you have a Byzantine chip on your shoulder if you have to attack society in such a way.
We, the Liberal Democrats have fairness at their heart of our thinking and prejudiced bigots like yourself should go back to the time-warp you come from and grow up. People like you give political parties and activists a bad name with your dogmatic and regressive views of this country. Troll.
Sorry Hannah, I think that is a ludicrous over-reaction – I think you should read a bit of social history before using such dogmatic language. I’ve just re-read what Sesenco said and agree with him almost completely. The only thing I disagree with is that as far as I remember Lambton and Jellicoe, as well as obviously Profumo, all had defence connections which laid them open potentially to blackmail about their affairs, and that is why they resigned rather than simply because of the affairs.
@paul: I fail to see who someone sleeps with is in the public interest.
it’s a purely private matter, noone but the interested parties can ( nor should) know the full story (after all it’s well possible his family knew about it, that’s not uncommon).
the public has gained nothing out of knowing.
At least with Laws there was the vague excuse of expenses, here it’s purely being nosy.(btw, I’d think exactly the same if it was a politician from another party or a celebrity, this country needs much stronger privacy laws! )
All CH has to do is wait until Tuesday: after that no one much is going to remember or care!
Unless the right-wing media can bully every Lib Dem minister into resigning, they’re shooting their bolts a bit early, anyway. They’ll have no ammunition left come 2015.
Chris Huhne’s private life is a matter for him. But I suggest that this does provide wonderful amunition for those who wish to undermine the Lib Dem Cons unfair promotion of marriage through the tax system.
@ MacK
Your comment doesn’t work on two grounds: (1) Lib Dems don’t want to promote marriage through the tax system, that’s the *Tories*, ie the people who unforuntately make up the large(r) part of the Government; (2) even if the Lib Dems were promoting marriage through the tax system, how does this story undermine it?!
Two Points:
Firstly, Profumo not only had ‘defence connections’ but was at an added risk as Keeler was also having ‘relationship’ with Russian Embassy guy – allegedly KGB I believe I seem to remember! THAT was why he had to go. Had not one Dr Stephen Ward been thought to have ‘brokered’ both liasons?
‘Open marraiges’ have been around for ages. And yes, ‘thou shalt not get caught’ nor jeopordise the natural lineage! And, social history wise, far more likely in upper classes simply cos they had the opportunity and the time to so indulge. House parties etcetera – and not so easy in a two up two down!
Miranda Ward,
Yes, he was Yevgeny Ivanoff, a KBG Colonel. Christine described him as “a real man with a hairy chest”. I doubt if Profumo would ever have divulged state secrets to Christine, or that if he did, Christine would have been unpatriotic enough to pass them on to a Russian. But point made. It didn’t look too good.
Cliveden is open to the public these days. There are some wonderful tulip displays in the Spring, and you can walk right down to the river. At weekends, they let you into the house. I recommend it.
@Grammar Police
“Your comment doesn’t work on two grounds: (1) Lib Dems don’t want to promote marriage through the tax system, that’s the *Tories*, ie the people who unforuntately make up the large(r) part of the Government;”
I know, but unfortunately the Lib Dems are tainted by association on this one. That’s the price of coalition. Check out the comments from those on the tabloid websites and you’ll find that their ‘Back to Basics’ detectors are twitching.
MacK – We specifically negotiated an opt out on the Tory proposals to support marriage through the tax system. You can claim that we are ‘tainted by association’ if you like, but that is a pretty mindless way of looking at the realities of coalition politics – oh, sorry, I forgot you were a Labour supporter, what else could I expect?
I feel sorry for his wife! but as regards him, no sympathy whatsoever. He has hurt the person who he was supposed to be faithful to, I have little time for those who treat their nearest and dearest with such disregard! if he wants to leave her leave her but stop being two faced! if he is two faced about those he loves what is he like to the rest of us?
“I feel sorry for his wife!”
I’ve always felt sorry for his wife.
You don’t know that.
This is the sort of coverage we will have to get used to. Even for Melanie Phillips this is harsh:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-1288184/The-shines-coming-Lib-Dems-faster-guardsmans-boot-farmyard.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
The Mail must be very disappointed that this ” middle aged man has mistress” story lacks the colour and dash of Labour’s Robin Cook or Tory David Mellor.
The drama of Cook at Heathrow being forced by Alistair Campbell to choose between wife and mistress was far more compelling; then the wife relentlessly used the press to play the “Hell hath no fury…”line. Now Robin is something of a saint in political circles.
The Mellor story must have been even more satisfactory to the Mail with its ingedients of football colours and toe-sucking (or was that someone else?)
For my money hypocrisy is an essential part of the character of the Daily Mail. On the one hand it pretends to champion “Familiy Values” and has the dreadful Melanie Phillips as its Savanorola; at the same time it has a really unpleasant section called “Femail” which devotes itself to stories of, yes, marriage break ups, affairs, and the body details, ie bottoms,waists and breasts of so-called celebs, complete with spiteful or congratulatory comment.
PS;
When I was a young woman we used to discuss in the office whether it was best to be wife or mistress having some of each amongst our complement. It was generally felt that there was a downside to both!
Elizabeth
Ohh no the nasty papers are being nasty. Grow up.
Is it a moral issue? Not for me, but Huhne makes it one.
Why does he have to tell us in his statement that his new relationship is “serious”? A clear attempt to portray himself as torn and upstanding. Never started that way of course. Who cares if it is serious or a bunk up? It does not change the fact that he wrote in his election lit ““Family matters to me so much. Where would we be without them?” Mind you, a lot of things were said before the election.
The lib-dems are fast becoming the standard bearers of hypocrisy. Read the Independent on Sunday – some great articles and a leader.
Never mind, when Chris re-marries he can enjoy the married allowance. If his ex-wife doesn’t re-marry then of course she will not enjoy the fruits of this policy. Lets reward the upstanding and give a clear message to these single mothers.
I forgot the world is upside down since the Small leader and Uriah Cable showed their true colours.
The hypocrisy of Huhne using family photographs in order to win votes whilst conducting an affair is a public interest matter, as is the fact that marriage will be hypocritically supported through the tax system. Why do you ridiculous Lib Dems think it is all a conspiracy against you rather than confronting your shabby hypocritical leaders who have got into bed with the nasty party. Vince Cable is already tainted by association so it won’t really matter if a skeleton comes out the cupboard.
Sorry to break ranks but I think this is a perfectly valid point:-
If someone cheats on their spouse, betrays a solemn pledge and causes pain to dependents, we must assume they may do the same to their constituents or their country. If Huhne’s wife can’t trust her husband, why should we?
@Tonyhill
Do Lib Dems really have such a problem with irony? I’m talking about Joe Public in whose eyes you are really tainted by association. I know all about the Lib Dems’ opt out of supporting marriage through the tax system because I am a rigorous reader of the coalition agreement, as are all Labour supporters who search for contradictions between your intent and your actions. Those who have read about the Huhne affair on the online tabloids and have posted messages condemning it and asking for his resignation don’t know about your opt out and think that the Lib Dems, being partners of the Tories, are hypocritically supporting marriage on the one hand and commiting adultery on the other. I’m talking about how this looks to the public, and apparently, for many of them the Lib Dems are tainted by association. When people marry, they are to some extent perceived to have achieved a joint identity, which is your problem as part of a coalition and no amount of arcane opt outs will annul this impression amongst those who take the tabloids regularly and find them a demanding read. Check out the tabloid message boards and you will see what I mean. The public’s hypocrisy sensors have been activated. It’s what I meant when I originally said that the Huhne affair provides such people with wonderful ammunition. First Laws, then Huhne. It don’t look good. But not to worry, they’re in great company: Lloyd George had a few problems, I understand.
Oh, for goodness sake, Andrew, stop with the sneering at Mrs. Huhne. By your own admission you know diddily squat about her, so what d’you do? Suggest she’s no angel!
In the case of infidelity, the first assumption is and always show be to give the benefit of the doubt to the other spouse. You have to have *some* standards!
Huhne is not a private individual any more. He’s a national politician who, no matter how minor, will have used his family for electoral gain. Fair enough if you wish to argue this ain’t a resigning matter, but he has willingly entered the public sphere.
Welcome to politics & here is a wee bet. Huhne will be gone in six weeks.
The reason Laws got into trouble was expenses. It was also because before the election the Telegraph got a huge data base on expenses. The trail of these expenses had to be teased from the data and a narrative imposed.
The Telegraph had nothing much more than raw data. That’s why the first stories were often about silly items as personal expenses – the duck house. Simple narrative of “he/she is taking the piss”.
Then the stories that needed a bit of joining up to show a pattern of behaviour. Requires a bit of digging around.
The simple fact is that before the election unless there was something obvious, the Lib-Dems were of no great interest.
So why dig around?
Now they are of great interest, and the fact that his new partner is his press officer is the point.
At this minute the Telegraph will be looking at the data. That business meeting is soon to become the candlelight dinner with “Top Posh Nosh” at tax payers’ expense; and with him being a millionaire too.
For the benefit of the prurient among us, here’s a link to today’s follow-up from the Mail, entitled “Chris Huhne’s bisexual lover: Life and very different loves of the PR girl in Doc Martens”:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1288195/Chris-Huhnes-bisexual-lover-Carina-Trimingham-PR-girl-Doc-Martens.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Gramsci’s Eyes,
Isn’t it a little odd to hear a Marxist gloating about the excesses of the capitalist press?
“here is a wee bet. Huhne will be gone in six weeks.”
Another Oracle of Delphi (we’ve had so many of them trolling on this site). What’s the weather going to be like in six weeks, Gramsci?
Mind you, if you’re going to indulge in pedanticism, it would be as well to learn the difference between spelling and grammar …
And just who benefits most from having a weak coalition partner who cannot ask too many questions when tax/benefit changes hit the less well off harder than the well off, when the CGT rate is lower than the income tax rate and when we go into a double dip recession because cuts are made before growth is established (or whatever Vince was saying before the coalition)? Are LibDems naive or stupid or a combination of both?
Just a gentle reminder for everyone about the site’s commenting policy, including the reference to personal insults: https://www.libdemvoice.org/the-liberal-democrat-voice-team
Since my comment was deleted (so much for free speech) I will repeat it.
Don’t know about the weather – but will predict that you will rant about SMERSH and worldwide conspiracy.
Some things more predictable than the other.
PS Odd how this is moderated when time is given to someone whose default position is to call others “stupid”.
It might be a valid point if it was relevant. But is that what actually happened? Was anybody lied to here?
I don’t know, and neither do you. So stop speculating about it and mind your own damn business.
The Daily Mail is written by and for frustrated suburban housewives of a certain age. Fearing the upheaval of scratching their own itches, they take vicarious pleasure in other people’s more fulfilling sex lives, before venting their spleen at their own inadequacies. Sensible political discourse is the last thing one should expect in the Mail, so I don’t know why people seem so bothered about anything ever published by it.
The Daily Mail Song: http://www.dananddan.com/?p=68
It must be true because I read it in the Daily Mail!
One would think, wouldn’t one, that people would have better things to do than spend time commenting on a Lib Dem website to the effect that the Lib Dems are all despicable scum because a Lib Dem MP has had an affair and his marriage has broken up over it, or whatever today’s excuse is for them deciding that the Lib Dems are all despicable scum.
And one would also think, wouldn’t one, that the Lib Dems who read that Lib Dem website would know to ignore such comments by now. But apparently not.
ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
well let’s just ignore this and concentrate on getting some policies through – we had better get the full CGT rise and finally put the burden sensibly on the broadest shoulders. So far I have been very disappointed in our lack of distinct voice. I hope Simon Hughes’ plans work.
The only problem is the rather cringe-making “family man” leaflets Huhne put out during the Election. Everything else is up to him and irrelevant to his job.