As ugly and vicious as Iris Robinson’s attacks on gays were, I cannot say I take much pleasure in joining the media to expose the details of her adulterous affair.
But the main issue here is one of moral authority. Even without explicit appeals to the rightness of her own conduct, a crucial element of such homophobic moral lecturing is the implicit positioning of the speaker herself as a model of virtue and moral uprightness. If she loses that superiority, the crux of her argument falls flat. When that argument serves discrimination and prejudice against gays and lesbians, it is only right that its faulty foundation be exposed.
Readers will recall that in mid-2008, UK Member of Parliament Iris Robinson publicly denounced homosexuality as “disgusting, nauseous, loathsome, shamefully wicked and vile,” and advocated reparative therapy to turn gay people straight. It has now been revealed that at around the same time she was being unfaithful to her husband, Northern Ireland’s First Minister Peter Robinson. She attempted suicide over the affair.
It has now been revealed that Robinson’s lover was then 19-year-old Kirk McCambley. Robinson, now 60, was 59 – over three times his age. In itself, this makes no difference to me – except for Robinson’s placing of herself as a paragon of traditional sexual morality.
Although Robinson did not name McCambley in her statement to the media, she did admit she had encouraged friends to pledge financial support his business venture. That business is now revealed to be a cafe, situated in a visitors center built by Castlereagh Borough Council, of which Robinson is a member.
So it appears Robinson has not only committed adultery, but she did so with a teenager, whom she also helped in ways that cast doubt on her political integrity.
When folks get THAT holier than thou….the smell test is changing colors!
Here’s to you, Mrs. Robinson.
Jesus loves even you more than you will know.
I was counting the hours until someone finally brought that connection in.
It is interesting to me that most of the coverage that I see in the British and Northern Ireland papers really are focusing on what I think is the more important part of the story.
Sure, she is a sexual and moral hypocrite, but the 50,000 pounds that she got from her “friends” for this kid, and her voting on the project without acknowledging her conflict of interest raises all sorts of political corruption questions. It is also alleged that the husband knew something about the 50,000 pounds and did nothing.
I don’t think this is the end of the story. Following Robinson money trails is probably going to be keeping various folks busy for quite some time.
I do not delight in this story but I have little sympathy. Robinson is exposed as a pious humbug of exceptional hypocricy who might, as she now seems to be achieving some kind of awareness, spare a thought to those gay people she has surely harmed – perhaps even helped tip over the edge to completed suicide – and of course the friends and family of the gay man whose killing evoked her despicable outburst in June 2008 (when asked to comment on his death, she chose to condemn homosexuality as an ‘abomination’).
This story is not funny: every day all over the world gay people endure appalling suffering through the imposition of the nonsense put out by both spiritual and political leaders such as her. I hope she never again has the chance to abuse her position to broadcast her corrupt and irrational venom.
I’m sorry but I just read the whole of her statement…and she is blaming her actions on depression?!
That one sentence alone does not nullify the rest of your statement. Depression is a true condition and should be taken seriously, but it in no way is an excuse for corruption.
JUST ONCE I would like to see one of these public figures (on either side) say, “I’m sorry. I f’ed up.” PERIOD! No blameshifting, no rationalizations, no throwing themselves on the mercy and forgiveness of whatever god or church the ascribe to.
Face it, honey, you f’ed up, got caught and now have to pay the piper.
Aside from the amusing irony of the situation, let’s not forget that people like Iris are partly the product of moralistic, legalistic churches. Churches that have often been quick to find fault with others, and been a source of bigoted views about those who do not fit into their neat black & white worlds.
I’m sure Iris would not have spoken out as she did about gay people, if she had not been fed with the hatred spouted by some of the more extreme Northern Irish church leaders.
She will now be on the receiving end of the shame piled on by the church, and the loss of face from her political colleagues following her financial indiscretions.
Perhaps that will put her in a place of humility, and perhaps she might be able to empathise more with those on the receiving end of the church’s ire, even though her shame is due to her own actions, rather than for merely existing.
The other jawdropping thing is that she apparently shagged his dad as well! In the bed of the Father, and of the Son….