Neil Pickford thinks the Member for Braintree was sucker-punched by his own foolish vanity.
The total sum of human gaiety was increased last week when a minor Conservative minister had to resign. The reason? He'd attached a photograph of an intimate piece of his anatomy to an email.
It gave another meaning to the phrase: "Member of Parliament."
Brooks Newmark, for it was he, is a 56-year old father of five who obviously felt the need for a bit of excitement on the side. In response to someone claiming to be an attractive female political activist this Minister for a Civil Society got too excited and 'sexted' her his Private Member's Will(ie).
Unfortunately for him the 'attractive female political activist' now privy to his parliamentary privates was really a male journalist working for the Sunday Mirror. When the news became public Mr Newmark conceded he'd been a complete fool and, unlike so many more recent cases, did the decent thing and resigned immediately.
Mr Newmark was only partly right – he had been a complete fool – and much more besides.
His foolishness surely started when this middle-aged, balding man seriously thought that any young woman would find him attractive enough to consider a sexual relationship.
My honest analysis, from the perspective of a middle-aged (not) balding man with an excess of stomach is that young women or men do not find much older men particularly attractive (with the exception of 53-year old George Clooney of course).
Any other male past the age of 50 who thinks he's still got what it takes to hook a far younger partner probably fancies himself far too much – certainly far more than any sensible Lolita ever would.
What confuses these self-deluded individuals is that there is a sub-class of young people who will be attracted to what these aging lotharios represent, be it power, wealth, influence or an easy life. These men, for it is usually men, find it all too easy to believe that the young people are actually infatuated with them, rather than what they represent. Then some of them take it further and decide to take advantage of this 'infatuation'.
It was US president Harry S. Truman who pointed out that all the bands playing, red carpets being rolled out and warm welcomes being extended were towards whoever was the President of the United States, and not Harry S. himself. By keeping himself grounded with that knowledge he was able deal both with his responsibilities in his day job, and also with his family life outside. But not everyone is as strong-willed as President Truman.
One of Newmark's roles was to help women become involved in politics – a job where there would undoubtedly be temptations for a heterosexual male which he should have absolutely resisted.
If he'd had a strong personal morality, be it a Christian one, which is summed up as; "love your neighbour as yourself", the rather more general: "Do unto others as you would have them do to you," or the litigious 21st century version of: "Give me respect, or I'll sue your sorry arse" he might have withstood these temptations, kept his job and done a lot to help women rise through the political hurley-burley. But he didn't. He didn't control himself; no one in Westminster seemed interested or aware so just what other system was there that could prevent him abusing his position in future?
Investigative journalism, that's what – the right kind of exposure.
And, if nothing else, that surely justifies a free press. Neil Pickford: by day a mild-mannered virger: by night…he walks the streets and tries to make sense of it all.
You can read more of Neil's various meanderings at his website • ThePickfordPapers
