 |
| source |
Although the late Edward Heath has become yet another public figure accused of child abuse, I find this one less plausible than most. To me the man came across as remote, cold and supercilious. Somehow it doesn't quite chime with the sexual nature of the accusations, with a need to display his most intimate physical compulsions however private the arrangements.
On the other hand and as we have discovered in too many cases, one should not put much weight on a public persona. We know these people in only the most superficial and manipulated sense. In other words, we don't know them.
11 comments:
I agree - we don't know them at all. What we do know, however, is that these allegations seem to be carefully orchestrated. Four police forces now revealing that he is in their gunsights? It might be worth asking who benefits from this, especially in view of the fact that there will probably never be conclusive evidence either way - just the emotional taint around a dead person's reputation.
Certainly, the professionally affronted and victim-creaters will revel in this. The more powerful men they can implicate in a rolling programme of patriarchal abuse, the better for their salaries and reputation.
In addition, some people might see advantages now in blackening the name of a fairly moderate Tory, or indeed a whole political establishment that some of us can remember. Especially if they are planning something nice and clean, and above reproach, and altogether better for us all...
Its interesting that the BBC article covering the news about Ted Heath only once mentions that he was Conservative PM, and then a fair way into the article. The word Tory is not mentioned at all. Normally anything involving scandal and Tory politicians has their political allegiance plastered all over it, including in the headline. Could it be that the BBC are going easy on the memory of pro-EU Heath?
Heath, you'll recall, was the master of artifice over the EU. I should think it quite possible, if not necessarily probable.
Sam - yes these things may well be orchestrated in the sense that interested parties sing from the same hymn sheet and benefit from a finger-pointing culture. In a digital age, the orchestration is rapid too.
Sobers - good point. Some may see Heath as a key architect of the UK/EU project and prefer to divorce his political career from his personal life.
James - possible of course, because as you say we know he is duplicitous.
My prediction is that if the allegations about Heath have some veracity then it will provoke all many of Lefty hand wringing articles along the lines of 'Can men who do evil in one part of their lives do good in others?' etc etc. Whereas if it was a person whose political career the Left disapproved of, such allegations would be used to discredit their entire life's work.
I have to admit to unease at the way some media coverage appears to be equating reticence about his private life with having something to hide.
We've seen the rise of emotional incontinence over past decades to the point where refusing to 'share' is viewed with hostility and even suspicion by the populist media - remember the 'Show us you care' headlines? Whatever the truth of the matter, there is a real danger that 21st century standards will be inappropriately applied by the press.
Sobers - I agree - Stalin and Mao are extreme examples.
Mac - I'm sure there are many who do not understand that theirs are merely 21st century standards which will eventually become obsolete.
FWIW I think this is a lot of hooey. I never liked Ted Heath for what he did to this country, but these sort of allegations could be created for anyone who has been in the public eye at all. There's a lot of delusional people out there.
I would like to see some sort of experiment done, with a fictional person created, who is then announced in the media as being a suspected paedophile, and asking for other people to come forward. I'll bet pound to a penny you'd get as many allegations of abuse by a fictional person as any real one. Of course you'd need all the media to be in on the experiment, so it would never work/happen, but to be honest, it needs to happen.
In fact I'm surprised that someone hasn't tried to create such a scenario already - it would make a good defence to allegations made against you if you could show that a fictional character attracts as many allegations as a real alleged abuser.
II agree with the post, I doubt he would be that stupid, even if he were that way inclined, but you never know.
Sobers makes a very good point, I hadn't noticed that.
Sobers - now there's an idea. I'm sure someone in academia would love to carry out this experiment.
Mark - I didn't notice it either. BBC language is interesting.
Post a Comment