Peter Hain, a convicted criminal and incompetent manager of electoral donations, named Sir Philip Green as being the instigator of one or more Settlement Agreements under the ‘protection’ of parliamentary privilege. This doctrine was established in 1689, 328 years before #MeToo came on the scene.

The disclosure led to the usual culprits (Frank Field, Vince Cable and other ‘has beens’) raising the prospect of sanctions such as stripping his knighthood etc.

It’s still hard for Grumpy to assimilate just how far the whole #MeToo move to dismantle due process has travelled. Hain’s self-righteous and egotistical disclosure shames him, but the real issue is the shift towards the wish to destroy the lives and careers of people who have had no formal allegations, much less charges,  made against them,  and have not, unless and until found guilty in a court of law, committed any criminal offence

According to reports, some of the “serious” claims against Sir Philip include calling women ‘sweetheart’ or ‘love’ rather than using their names. This is simply unbelievable, and shows the southern and upper class nature of the ‘accusers’; they should go to Derbyshire where every shop assistant and bus conductor will call them, ‘duck’, ‘love’, ‘darling’ and so on.

So as a result of Criminal Hain’s action, Sir Philip will suffer public disapprobation and substantive cost when he has committed no offence other than to upset a few weak minded women incapable of managing their own lives, and trigger opportunistic attention seekers like Field to try and salvage their already dead careers.

If anyone had suggested to Grumpy 5 years ago that someone could go to jail for a wolf whistle, ogling a ‘hint of stocking’ of a secretary sunning herself on the grass, or calling someone ‘duck’, he would have considered it a parody. Not so – this is the madness of issue prioritisation into to which a society which sees 120+ stabbings a year in London has fallen.