Look who is up for grabs

When an archbishop speaks, sitting up and paying attention isn't always the first reaction. But when the Archbishop of Canterbury implies that newspapers should expose philandering MPs, your ears twitch.

And when the Press Complaints Commission steps in to point out that not all politicians are "fair game", it is fair to assume that you have tumbled into a topsy-turvy place.

Dr George Carey earned praise from the editors of tabloid newspapers for his views, while Ann Widdecombe, the Tory Home Affairs spokeswoman, said: "If he wants to attack the moral anarchy into which we have descended, fair enough."

'Moral anarchy' is a colourful phrase of the sort often used by politicians and even newspaper columnists. I'm not exactly sure what these words mean, though it's safe to assume Ann Widdecombe wasn't talking about anarchy carried out within a moral framework.

No, I guess she believes this is a rotten state into which we have descended. There are many periods in history that might be thought more morally anarchic than ours. In Viking days, there were probably mutterings about how mean and amoral life had become, what with all that raping, pillaging and so forth. Heavens, if they could see us now.

Dr George Carey is this country's chief man of religion in a largely irreligious age. As such, he often appears keen to find a topic with headline appeal. His latest remarks, delivered in a lecture at the University of Essex last weekend, suggested newspapers should feel free to intrude into the private lives of politicians to expose affairs, sexual high-jinks and homosexuality.

The archbishop phrased his words with care, as is his way. But the implication was there for the spotting.

"The question has to be asked whether sexual sins have any relevance to public life? I do not believe they can be disregarded," Dr Carey said. "The point is not just that bad private behaviour leaves the individual vulnerable to media intrusion, but that it undermines the respect we need to have for politicians."

Whether or not this justifies headlines such as "Expose MPs, says Archbishop" is open to interpretation. The key seems to lie in the cautious confines of 'I do not believe they can be disregarded'. This has been interpreted as declaring open season on philandering MPs, a scent most newspapers can't resist following anyway.

How odd for an archbishop to condone the hounding of politicians. Perhaps his Christianity falls short of caring for disgraced MPs.

We have a curious attitude to politics and sex in this country. To my mind, politicians deserve a private life as much of the rest of us. If all they've done is suffer an unhappy marriage, we should leave them to their marital misery. But if they have preached about the wholesome nature of their own lives, if they have paraded their partner and children as electoral accessories, they are probably fair game if caught out.

For all that, how a politician conducts his or her private life has little effect on whether or not they are good at the job. Much the same way that Tony Blair's happy family life, obviously important to him, makes scant difference to whether or not he is a good Prime Minister.

AS A half-term treat, we went to York Odeon to see Tory Story 2. American Beauty at the as yet unvisited City Screen York would have been nice, but that's parenthood for you. The children loved the film - even the eight-year-old, who'd already seen it. To adult eyes, this digital cartoon was a technical marvel, though lacking some of the spiky wit of the original. Still, we didn't tell them that.

There was something thrilling about the trip - the Odeon was heaving. Sitting in a full and happy cinema certainly adds another dimension to a film.

24/02//00

If you have any comments you would like to make, contact Julian Cole directly at julian.cole@ycp.co.uk

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.