Keith Vaz: Defending the indefensible
by David Robertson, Christian Today:
Keith Vaz – a senior figure in the Labour Party and one of the best-known Asian MPs in the UK – faced fierce pressure to resign from his key role as chair of the home affairs committee of the House of Commons. In an astonishing display of chutzpah (or bravery, depending on your point of view) he appeared in the Commons yesterday and asked a couple of questions which were greeted with stony silence.
Eventually the pressure became too great. He has just announced he’s stepping down.
But that is not all there is to say about this story.
One of Vaz’ defenders was Peter Tatchell. He put out a press release which was picked up by several newspapers. Tatchell is someone I have met and debated with. I regard him as a committed, sincere, and honest human being. However, his comments were deeply disappointing: This is what he said about the Vaz case:
“I find it very difficult to see any public interest justification for the exposure of Keith Vaz. He may have behaved unwisely, but there is no evidence of criminal wrong-doing or hypocrisy.
“Buying sex is not an offence. Keith has supported gay rights and the decriminalisation of sex work. His public pronouncements do not contradict his private behaviour.
“So where is the public interest in outing him?
“Given the absence of any public interest justification, there is prima facie evidence that the Sunday Mirror has broken the press regulation code prohibiting unwarranted intrusion into privacy.
“It is true that that Keith did not declare an interest when his Home Affairs Committee was investigating poppers and sex work criminalisation. But we don’t demand that MPs who drink and smoke declare an interest when they discuss legislation affecting the alcohol and cigarette industries. Why should Vaz be treated any differently?
“We must be mindful of how hard it is for gay and bisexual people to come out in some sections of the Asian community, where conservative, traditional views often hold sway. Homophobia kept Keith Vaz in the closet and we should all be appalled by that.”
So what’s wrong with all of this?
Related Posts
Tags
Share This
