Doh!

I was having a quick trot around the Blogs when I stumbled across the latest David Benson-Dope scandal in Investigate Magazine. A trashy kind of a read worthy of reading on the tube.

I happened across and article that started with this:

Benson3

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THE SECRET LIFE OF THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE ONLY...

Excerpt follows, full story is R18, with explicit photos and literature, and is only available by a credit card purchase for the special price of $1, to reduce the risk of children being exposed to its content.

WARNING: The following 10,000 word story contains R-18 photos and descriptions of an explicit sexual nature, relating to bondage, discipline and sado-masochism. It is premium content for several reasons. Firstly, a credit card purchase for $1 is our way of enforcing an R-18 limit. Secondly, this has been a lengthy and expensive investigation, and thirdly we may have to re-locate some of our sources either temporarily or permanently. They have put much at risk to help us bring you this investigation.

BY IAN WISHART

In July 2004, at the height of the clash of cultures surrounding Labour’s civil unions legislation, the man responsible for ramming that law through Parliament laid down a gauntlet challenging the integrity of groups opposing him. Married, with two children, Associate Justice Minister David Benson-Pope was the heterosexual face of the contentious gay marriage bill, and he’d been brought in to front it amid fears that the public would react badly to having openly gay Labour MPs Tim Barnett and Chris Carter leading the charge.

Both Carter and Barnett had taken prominent positions to push through the legalization of prostitution just months earlier, and the last thing Labour wanted was even more accusations that its homosexual wing was really in control of the party.

Cricky dickens - this could be worth read. So I hit 'print'. I was in Boston Manor on Friday and that office was still my default printer.

Now read the opening gambit again, 'Excerpt follows, full story is R18, with explicit photos and literature,' - sent to the wrong printer.

A rather hastily made and bashful phone call followed! A touch embarrassing!

As for the story itself - I tend to treat Ian Wishart with the same wariness that I do Nicky Hagar. But in politics, perception is everything, and has aready claimed Brash. And this doesn't look flash from here.