Our secret envy of Lords: Why we shouldn’t expect – or insist – on our Lords being more lordly than us

Only the media and legions of middle England curtain-twitchers appear to have taken a sharp and judgemental intake of breath at the ‘shocking’ revelations that guess what – another over privileged life peer likes a line and spending company with ladies of the night.

 

And Lord Sewel accompanied his session by openly taking the proverbial out of Tony Blair and George Bush, as well as landing a swing at David Cameron, likening him to a limp, ignorant, superficial thing. This is not politics, this is pub chat, and it's refreshing and real.

 

While of course the illegality might shock some, Sewel's actions are no different to those that many people up and down the country do on a regular basis.  

 

It’s not the norm but it’s also hardly an earth-shattering revelation.

 

We persistent in believing our elected (and unelected) leaders and celebrities of all stripes be devoid of any flaw, as if only they can be pure. This sort of tight-lipped conservatism prevents a celebration of the truism that we’re all a little mad, a little bad but there’s always more than meets the eye.

 

I want my leaders, creators, visionaries et al to have a few foibles through which they view the world .

 

I want them to be more than we allow them to be – or rather they allow themselves to be.