I have already posted my own take on the Roman Polanski saga; once is enough, and I am sure everyone who is reading this blog knows what I think of this little insect.

What is perhaps more shocking however is the back story of Frédéric Mitterrand, the French Culture Minister who “came out” (pardon the very obvious pun) very loudly in support of Monsieur Polanski. By all accounts Mitterrand – like his crooked uncle François – is a rather unctuous individual who has more than a passing similarity to our much-beloved Peter Mandelson.

Mitterrand fights for his job after rent boy admission

Of course, nobody in the mainstream political elites want to lay their cards down on table for fear of being lambasted as “haters” by the media – which means that those outside this circle of friends who have nothing to lose are left to say what the most of the public actually think. In France this means the FN and Marine le Pen, who has had no qualms about saying what she thinks of M. Mitterrand and his salacious lifestyle.

Frédéric Mitterrand: just as slimy as he looks

In demanding the Culture Minister’s immediate resignation, Mme. le Pen has stolen a march on Nicolas Sarkozy’s ailing government, making the point that needed to be made. Perhaps more galling for the poor afflicted M. Mitterrand is that others from outside the political establishment – namely, the left – have also raised their voices in indignation at his conduct. In response, the best M. Mitterrand can offer makes him look even more of an idiot:

“If the National Front drag me through the mud then it is an honour for me. If a leftist politician drags me through the mud then it is a humiliation for him.”

Frankly, I am flabbergasted as to why people like Frédéric Mitterrand have been able to worm their way into positions of power and influence. I am more than aware that these days it is seen as some sort of obligation (to what end, I have no idea) to include a homosexual/Muslim/vegetarian/whatever in your cabinet – but a man who has written quite proudly of his dalliances with rentboys? It beggars belief.

The position taken by other politicians in defence of M. Mitterrand’s is positively mind-boggling, one example being the head of Sarkozy’s UMP party, Xavier Bertrand. In what is clearly a botched attempt to maintain the gulf between what he sees as his vision of France and the opinions from outside of the establishment, he only succeeds in digging himself into a deeper hole:

“The Socialists are now on the same ground as the extreme right, it’s incredible. One is not obliged to use private life for political ends” . (Source: Daily Telegraph, Frédéric Mitterrand admitted to paying for sex with ‘young boys’ in Thailand)

Erm, right.

I believe that everyone has a right to a private life, but there must be some sort of demarcation somewhere – particularly where those in positions of influence and responsibility are concerned. It is one thing to go trainspotting every weekend or engage in arcane sexual practices with one’s wife; it is of a completely different order to be procuring young boys in some seedy Bangkok back street.

Xavier Bertrand’s reasoning is not too dissimilar to the facile argument put forward by those clowns who believe nobody should own a German Shepherd “because Hitler did”; it is a case of, quite simply, “if the right says it, so it must be wrong”. I think Marine le Pen and the FN could be onto something here – she just needs to say one thing, and all of the sheep in the establishment will bleat the opposite.

Personally, I’d shove Mitterrand, Betrand and their ilk on a plane with their mate Polanski and cart them all off to America. Then they can play “let’s pick up the bar of slippery soap” with some overweight, tattooed redneck called Bubba.