IN JUNE Lord Sewel, a deputy speaker of the House of Lords, wrote to The Economist to complain about “wearied caricatures” in an article about Britain’s doddery, shambolic upper house of Parliament. But on July 26th it seemed that the same peer had fallen for an even hoarier old cliché of politics: a tabloid sting involving two prostitutes, some lines of unidentified white powder and a hidden camera.
After the Sun on Sunday released its video, in which the peer snorts lines of what he calls “Coca-Cola—forget the cola” from the breasts of a sex worker while whingeing about his expenses and outlining faintly racist fantasies about Asian women, Lord Sewel stood down from his various parliamentary roles, including the chairmanship of an ethics committee. But he indicated that he had no plans to leave the Lords altogether, and would merely take a “leave of absence”. That remained his position as police searched his London flat, the Labour Party suspended him and David Cameron hinted heavily that it was time for the peer to hang up his ermine robe. On Tuesday, at last, he...Continue reading
via Brian Rushton, The rotters’ club
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