Friday, February 22, 2013
The 'harassment' card pulled on Chris Rennard
The worst that Chris (Lord) Rennard, the Liberal Democrat peer, is accused of is placing his hand on a woman's knee or back, and sitting so close as to be touching. He was reluctant to take 'no' for an answer, we're told; but the 'no' apparently was never an explicit one. He made "unwanted approaches". Big Deal. Most approaches by men to women are unwanted.
Chris Rennard appears to have behaved in no way beyond the usual forwardness required of males to enable females to initially reply coyly to test if the male is persistent, so that then she may well not – but sometimes just may – decide to accept his advances. The current utterly daft notion of what constitutes 'harassment' potentially makes normal sexual interaction impossible though obviating any beginning of courtship.
We've had the ridiculous spectacle of Lib-Dem spouse Vicky Price cowering behind the truly antique notion of 'coverture' to excuse her own illegal behaviour, and now we have these Lib-Dem women so socially incompetent that they can't deal with the most innocuous mild sexual overtures?! Most even half-worldly women would make light and deliver a humorous put-down so that both parties save face. Having not taken it lightly, it's just not good enough to hide behind the notion that they could not complain because of Chris Rennard's 'power' in the political hierarchy. Well were they just using their femininity to enable themselves to climb the Party's hierarchy, and didn't want to give this up?! If they genuinely felt their complaints had substance, then why would they allow themselves to be 'fobbed off'?
The whole affair is pretty funny in that the Lib Dems are – albeit quite a way after Labour -- a locus of 'political correctness' fascism, so any woman within the organisation can expect a very good hearing indeed if she makes any, however flimsy charge of sexual misdemeanour, and knows full well that she would be able to push beyond any rebuff.
I note the reporting on this Channel4 story is headed up by Cathy Newman: someone who personally told me that what matters to her in assessing a news story is what she "believes", not journalistic standards. She's a rabid feminist activist, not a journalist.
As a very ex-Lib Dem activist owing to my profound disagreement with several major LD policies and orientations, I've no reason to be kind to Chris Rennard, albeit I know him personally. Long ago I worked as his admin assistant. Even during the back-end of those 'Young Liberal' days of promiscuity I never saw nor heard of Chris making any sexual move, no matter how subtle or how crude, on anyone. Indeed, I might be wrong but from my understanding at the time he has no natural interest in females at all!
# posted by Steve Moxon @ 8:12 pm 
