Quaint

[poliphilo]

Mark Oaten, a politician none of us had heard of until the week before last (when he briefly stood as a candidate in the Lib-Dem leadership election) has been visiting a rent boy on a regular basis. The media quaintly describe this as an "affair". Oaten equally quaintly describes it as an "error of judgement".

Even quainter is Oaten's characterisation of himself as a "tough liberal". I wonder if this is the same thing as a "compassionate conservative"? I expect it is.

And that both are much the same thing as an "opportunist".

Comments

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

Rent Boy?? I have an idea what it might mean, but I'd rather be sure...

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Male prostitute.

I guess it must be a Britishism. Well I never!

[arielstarshadow.livejournal.com]

Well, I feel better knowing my guess was correct. :)

[ex-kharin447.livejournal.com]

"Even quainter is Oaten's characterisation of himself as a "tough liberal". I wonder if this is the same thing as a "compassionate conservative"?"

You may be right but I do get tired of liberals being painted as soft on crime whne they question measures which are obviously detrimental to civil liberties but have a poorly defined relation to effective policing.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Perhaps I'm being overly cynical.

I certainly know what you mean.

[karenkay.livejournal.com]

Hahaha! You, overly cynical????

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I know, I know......

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was confused by their terminology - haven't read much about it, but I'd assumed that if he was having "an affair" with the bloke, he wasn't paying him?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I believe the "affair" was costing him £80 per hour.

[pickwick.livejournal.com]

Oh...right. This is obviously a new meaning of "affair" I hadn't got yet :) Bloody media...