I don't want to rehearse the detail here, that's what the web's for, but there is some question about Fox 's relationship with the guy and access to sensitive government material, possible misrepresentation and financial gain, yadda, yadda and indeed yadda.
Needless to say, we're much more interested in the prurient mileage to be had in reviewing media coverage of the matter.
Back last week, the story broke, and my eye was caught by the photograph that it has turned out has subsequently topped or tail most reporting on the story . You know the one, (or variants thereof):
I swear to Christ, on seeing the photograph prior to reading the story my first reaction was "Fucking hell! I didn't know Liam Fox was gay!". Which of course, lets make this very clear, he very definitely isn't.
The photograph above doesn't in fact record a Mr and Mr civil partnership ceremony as I, and the rest of the known universe, initially surmised.
No, the above records the happy day when Mr Werritty acted as best man at the wedding of Dr Fox to a lady. So that's clear then. What's less clear is why I can't find wedding days snaps where said lady does feature. Perhaps these other pics aren't in the public domain or she was away having a smoke outside. Anyway, moving on...
What's interesting about this pic and other variants is the ubiquity of its use in the papers. A by no means exhaustive list shows the image being used time and again in The Daily Mail, The Telegraph and The Daily Express, (ahem) "newspapers" usually thought to act in the Conservative interest and least likely to feature,cough, images featuring a senior Tory politician that might be subject to more than one interpretation. Strange days indeed.
Of course there's been a lot of interwebular gossip concerning Dr Fox's preferences, but what hasn't been under dispute is the guy's previous as an unreconstructed Thatcherite. In fact he happily had the sainted Maggie along to a recent party, so no problems with being seen as the nasty party there then.
A million years ago, Anthony Barnett wrote a book about The Falklands War contextualised as part of the cultural apparatus of Thatcherism. He referred in particular to a famous shot of Maggie, dressed up as a tank commander, sticking her head out of an army tank. He remarked at the time that a male politician would never have got away with that pose because he would've looked totally camp... Y-e-s.
Have a look at his shot of our Liam, and bear in mind that Liam is a medical doctor, professionally and supposedly personally committed to the welfare of fellow human beings. Could this setup be any camper or more horrible?
1 comment:
Dr Fox looks out for Guardian journalists...
Post a Comment