Gay MPs: what business is it of ours?

This is a tricky one. i agree that you need to be whiter than white and that mr Laws, along with all other politicians is a too removed from what the economic downturn really means i.e it's all well and good saying how hard it is on TV but this is obviously tempered if you're driving back to a nice home and stable income. From my understanding i believe that any politicians sexuality should remain secret if they so choose and that there is a world of difference between paying someone to rent a room and flipping your homes, claiming for moat cleaning etc...Hopefully he can continue in another, less public, role so his expertise won't be lost.

Hey Laura, good to get stuck in on the issue eh?
Apologies if I misunderstood you previously, but I would say that it is a big deal for several reasons.
Firstly I would say I'm really sorry David Laws has gone, his intellect and vision will be missed.
But, to start off he is a millionaire and in terms of public perception at a time when people have lost their jobs and the economy is in a state, it doesn't look good that he feels justified in claiming £40,000 from the tax payer.
He also fought a campaign on being whiter than white in terms of expenses and the Coalition was founded on the principle of new politics leaving all that expenses scandal behind. You're right that many have done worse, I agree, and if this had come out 12 months ago it wouldn't have been so damaging, but I think the timing and his position and the context of the 'new politics' all meant his position was really untenable. The fact he resigned so quickly is telling as well, he know he had to walk, which is a shame.
Also, I have to say, if you want to keep your private life private, you probably shouldn't take on a prominent role in public life, it's a bit naive of him to think that was possible.
But hey, it's Monday now and the media is more interested in Charlotte Church and her bloke splitting up, so I'm sure it will blow over and he will be back.

I understand what you are saying Simon and Al, but I'm not saying the exposure of this is ****phobic. I suspect it adds a certain sleaze element to the story for the tabloids which, had it been his girlfiend, it wouldn't have.
Perhaps I didn't make it clear enough, but I really don't get why renting a room off someone you are romantically involved is, is seen as a wrongdoing.
What I wanted to get across in this article is that Mr Laws has also come under fire for not outing himself before it came out in this way...but why should he.
He did not declare his 'partner' as his 'partner' in interests of protecting his private life and now it's all come crashing down. I really hope this is not the end of his career, seriously, other MPs have done a lot worse...

Sorry Laura,

I really think the premise of this article is flawed.

THE issue is not Davd Laws' sexuality. It is, however, whether he followed the rules that govern expenses of MPs.

Simon Peevers has summarised the issue perfectly, as far as I am concerned.

Please do not turn this into a "gay bashing" story. It isn't. Equality under the law meas just that - everyone expects to be treated "equally".

I don't think this is anything to do with David Laws being gay, it's about him abusing his position and claiming tax payers' money when he shouldn't have been doing.
Even when the expenses scandal broke last year you would have thought he might double check what he was doing was right.
When I worked in Yeovil on the Western Gazette I spoke to Mr Laws regularly and have always considered him to be a very intelligent and effective politician, I remember when he was first elected and was proud to see how far he had come when he took his seat at the cabinet table.
But he's wrong on this and he knows it and it's not ****phobic to expose the wrongdoing, and it wasn't done becasuse he is gay.
The definition of partner in the rules may be vague, but you know when you are in a long term relationship with somebody that they are your partner.
Perhaps he should have been more open from the start about his sexuality. I asked him ten years ago if he was gay and he said no, so obviously it has been a struggle for him to be open about it all these years.
But when it comes down to it, if it had been a Tory or Labour MP with their female lover, it would also have been exposed and rightly because of the financial impropriety. IMHO