The Shocking Truth

First published 1st May 2014

Radio 4 this morning carried a story which strongly implied a culture of sexual harassment and bullying in the 'Westminster Village.' All this on top of the MP's expenses scandal and the clear message you get, that some MP's don't understand why the general public are so outraged by their failure to put in place a scheme that really does make MP's fully accountable for their expenses.

On the theme of sexual harassment a young man, speaking to a Radio 4 journalist made it clear that any reporting of such behaviour would spell the end of your career in politics. The implication was that this is a self-perpetuating monster that consumes anyone who stands in its way. Let it be said that there are many in Parliament who do not behave like this, but, in a sense by not blowing the whistle on all this, they are helping to perpetuate a culture which damages people. Only one MP was prepared to speak to Radio 4 and put his name to his comments.

If the Radio 4 piece had any flaw, it was this. There was no looking beneath the surface of the problem to see if there is a root cause.

Years ago, I read a book written by theChristian theologian and author Richard Foster (still in print) called Money, Sex and Power: The Challenge of the Discipled Life. The book looked at the inextricable link between those three themes. Foster isn't anti either money, sex or power but considerstheir "proper place" in Christian life. You start to wonder for whom this book should be compulsory reading!

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