So it turns out that the leader of the Conservative Party indulged in the odd spliff whilst at school in that non-state Comprehensive just outside Windsor (Eton College to the unitiated). The newspapers love it - because during the election campaign he refused to confirm or deny - so they've got a victim in their sights. He says no one should be interested in something he did a quarter of a century ago before he entered politics.
Various thoughts cross my mind though. OK so most people who were young from the 1960s onwards have dabbled in drugs of some kind or other. Before the 1960s young men probably got drunk before the legal age. Most young people (after the introduction and widespread consumption of the contraceptive pill and easy availability of condoms) indulged in sex before the age of 16. Trouble is all of these things are illegal. Where do we draw the line. Would we consider it of interest if a politician had done some joy riding at the age of 16? How about an abortion (even though it was legal)? How about gay sex before it was legal? Privacy is a tricky issue. Trouble is we elect people not only because of the party they belong to, but also because of the experience of life they bring to the office. Does an ex-serviceman not bring a certain experience to the post of Defence Minister, a parent has a certain viewpoint regarding child benefit, someone whose relative has suffered from senility will have a view on the NHS.
None of this invalid, but perhaps the electorate should be aware of an agenda. Has David Cameron's experience given him a view on the criminalisation of drugs?
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