Everything is inappropriate, but what is illegal?

What other conclusion can be drawn from the current maelstrom that passes for a 24 news cycle? Taking offence has reached a new, unexpectedly stratospheric level.


I am really baffled as to what the real agenda is, I can't be bothered with it all being a put-up job from the media etc, it is just a self-feeding mess. Perhaps it is just shits and giggles as the expense of the so-called powerful.


A really weird aspect too is that as the Country become more imprurient, the juniors in my office are of the Tinder generation who frequently disappear to total strangers houses for an hour or two on the strength of a squizz at a facebook profile, the media world has decided that it is Victorian values all the way (hmm, not sure women had the vote etc back then etc, but anyways...) at Westminster and more widely.


Worse of course, for those of you in work, will know the 100% verboten discussion of basically anything at work bar say football or fashion. God forbid, a politics or discussion about grand changes in the country or the world; let alone actual hanky panky! Any discussion is likely to cause offence to be taken by someone and result in a swift visit from the Diversity and Human Remains harradinati.


Perhaps, Westminster is now just undergoing the cultural revolution that has already overtaken our workplaces and being in the media spotlight, this will be an unpleasant experience for all involved.


For me though, the issue must be one of law. Where people act unlawfully they deserve their punishment, however flirting and adultery are not legal offences. However, tax avoidance is not an offence either but try telling that to the Guardianista on the Clapham Omnibus. So, law seems to have only a partial role to play in the court of public opinion.


More widely, the UK broadly invented the modern rule of law. The Monarchy submitting to Parliament and in turn they to the Judiciary. To abandon this will actually do great harm to our standing in the world - the UK is rightly renowned as a safe, ordered and light touch place to live ones life. To be abandoned to trial by twitter is a retrograde step and one that could damage our long-term business prospects. A legal underpinning is critical to all of our rights as subjects of Her Majesty, without it, the State towers over us all instead of serving us.


Finally too, for all the need to stop the abuse of power by sleazy men or women (good luck with this by the way Common Purpose, I suggest you may read some Thames Hobbes), surely no one of any character will be stupid enough to stand for Parliament in future. Many of our great leaders also had great personal moral failures, but we won't be getting any of them in the future. The future is middle-management straight as a die types. We will have to see how that works out in due course.