Dominique Strauss-Kahn - the French Jimmy Savile

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The Spectator makes an entirely inaccurate comparison to the trial of Jeremy Thorpe (a man who was charged - and acquited - with trying to murder the man who blackmailed him over a homosexual affair) - the truth is that Dominique Strauss-Kahn, urbane, charming, politically-connected and powerful is the French Jimmy Savile:

Back in Paris, a young female journalist accused him of attempted rape during a magazine interview. When this case too was dropped on the grounds of insufficient evidence, the pimping investigation began. A parallel charge of gang rape, carrying a maximum sentence of 20 years, was withdrawn in 2012. But in preparation for the pimping trial, two examining magistrates spent four years transcribing hundreds of pages of text messages and emails. During the three-week trial, an extraordinary picture of DSK’s downtime emerged. Hours were passed in the company of a Belgian pimp called ‘Dodo la Saumure’, proprietor of ‘le Dodo Sex Klub’. Afternoons were spent arranging meetings on the Belgian frontier, or in Madrid, or in Washington, where expensive locations were hired and his friends including a Lille CID inspector flew in with what DSK called ‘the equipment’ (young prostitutes).

This is an unrepentant goat. Yet it seems French socialists rather fancy him as their presidential candidate. I guess we're supposed to respect Gallic worldliness but all I see is an entirely corrupt culture - sexist, exploitative and oppressive. For all our prurience and hypocrisy, I rather prefer our willingness to call out politicians for unpleasant sexual behaviour and especially the sort we see here - were I some sort of feminist, something of a celebration of 'rape culture'.

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