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Politics : Clinton's Scandals: Is this corruption the worst ever? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Axxel who wrote (8898)	11/9/1998 11:30:00 PM
From: Les H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 13994

British tabloid press frenzy over gays in politics drudgereport.com LONDON, Nov 10 (AFP) - Tony Blair's government faced a tabloid frenzy over gays in politics Tuesday after the latest cabinet minister to be "outed" won the backing of the premier. Agriculture Minister Nick Brown was forced to admit his homosexuality over the weekend after being tipped off that a tabloid was about to do it for him. He won Blair's public support Monday, and said he would not be complaining to the media watchdog, the Press Complaints Commission, at the intrusion into his private life. But following similar controversy over two other cabinet ministers in the last two weeks, the revelation has raised fears of a media frenzy. Tabloid newspapers Tuesday insisted they have "nothing against gays", but demanded that MPs and ministers publicly acknowledge their sexuality because the public "has a right to know". On Monday, the Sun, the country's biggest-selling daily, asked if Britain was being run by a Westminster "gay mafia", threatening more revelations over the sexual preferences of ministers. On Tuesday, its editorial backed the public's right to know if the people wielding influence in government, the media and royalty were gay. Everyone should be aware "there is a group of gay men in key positions in government, television and even in the royal palaces who do have huge power," it added. Its major rival, the Mirror, put a telephone poll on its front page. "Do you want to know your MP's sexuality?" it asked, urging readers to ring in. In an editorial it wrote: "We believe people should know. Not so they can sneer, snigger or persecute their parliamentary representatives, but because it could be relevant. "Everyone is entitled to some privacy in their lives. But those who go into public life should not hide anything as vital as their sexuality." Other newspapers, such as the Express and the Daily Mail, devoted space to the debate over whether sexuality mattered in cabinet. They agreed it did. The broadsheet papers also put the Nick Brown story on their front pages. "Public backs gays in cabinet," headlined the Guardian, citing a poll that showed 52 percent of people would support an openly homosexual minister. The Daily Telegraph, Independent and Guardian highlighed calls for privacy legislation to counter press intrusions, although Downing Street said Monday that it wanted newspapers to regulate themselves. Blair's official spokesman also noted a generally sympathetic tone to the coverage of the Brown case in Monday's papers, despite Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott denouncing certain sections of the media for acting as "judge, jury and executioner". Media coverage of the Brown affair has been more positive than that given to Ron Davies, who resigned as Welsh Secretary late last month after meeting another man at a homosexual haunt on London's Clapham Common. Davies denied gay sex was involved, which led most papers to criticise him for not being honest. Then, days later, Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Mandelson was "outed" on a BBC programme by a political commentator. He has refused to comment. Up to the recent events, the only openly gay cabinet minister was Culture Minister Chris Smith. But judging by the tabloid press Tuesday, more revelations are likely to emerge about the private lives of MPs and ministers if they do not publicly proclaim their sexuality themselves.

To: Axxel who wrote (8898)	11/10/1998 12:29:00 PM
From: Bill	Respond to of 13994

A shepherd decided it was time for his teenage son to join him and the rest of the men from the village while they tended their flocks in the mountains for the summer. After a few days the boy asked his father, "since you stay up here so long what do you do for sex?" The father replied, "when you get the urge, just leave the camp and take one of the sheep and get your satisfaction." "Oh, I couldn't do that," replied the boy, "all the men would laugh." "No they wouldn't everyone does it." So one night the boy goes off with one of the sheep but upon returning to the camp finds all the men and his father laughing and howling. "I told you they would laugh", cried the boy. "Well we wouldn't have, it's just that you picked the ugliest one."