You cannot possibly have missed the feeding frenzy going on in the Press about David Cameron’s cannabis smoking exploits at school. Frankly, whether he continued this hobby when he was at university or even thereafter, before he went into politics, doesn’t interest me or bother me at all. I do think that politicians, like everyone else, are entitled to keep private the indiscretions of youth.
I have absolutely no problem with questions being asked of politicians about activities which are likely to impact on their ability to make decisions once they are elected as MPs. After all, one is entitled to take the view that politicians should not be spliffed up, raving on ecstasy or even pissed while carrying out the job of governing/opposing government. Drugs are, of course, illegal – but surely there have been instances of politicians being over refreshed while working?
Home Secretary John Reid said: “I think it was Andy Warhol who said most statements could be answered with the question ‘So what? I think this is one of those ‘So what?’ moments. Do we really care if David Cameron some years ago was involved in doing something wrong? “I think the public will probably say ‘So what, let’s move on and find out what he stands for’.
Charon had a few spliffs in his youth (late sixties in Africa visiting parents. Illicit booze was the only thing we could get hold of in the wilds of Perthshire at Glenalmond when I was an inmate there) and developed an extraordinary penchant for eating tomato omelettes and laughing soon after inhaling… but the most interesting ‘experiment’ was a shrub root which an african friend of mine said was ‘for women’. I tried it. I have not tried Viagra [but delighted that should I wish to do so I will be able to nip down to Boots] but I am able to tell you that this root, which my friend called ‘munga’, had similar properties to Viagra – not that it was terribly useful to me on that occasion; given that I was stuck in the middle of the african bush, 200 miles from the nearest town. Amused my Zambian friends though.
At the commencement of each parliamentary session, I suggest that there should be a rule making it mandatory for members of the Cabinet (and their opposition counterpart) to undergo dope tests similar to those demanded of sports men and women in this country. Then we can be absolutely certain that decisions such as going to war, made in our name, are not made under the influence of weeds. Clearly, politics, in no dissimilar way to sports, has the same ramifications.
You may well have a point – but I suspect that it is fairly certain that most MPs are not spliffed/raving etc on illegal drugs while at work – so not much point in drug testing.
Alcohol is legal, Would you like to see MPs being breathalysed each day? If so, when would you like this to happen?…..