Keith:"I answered your point at the time and again when Dave referred to it. The circumstances of female Labour and Tory politicians are very similar and I would like to know why one should be less likely to complain than the other."

Yes, Keith, they are certainly similar with respect to conditions that make sexual harassment of women likely to occur and unlikely to be reported. They differ in two aspects that most voters think is important: their politics and their membership.

I have to say that when your supporting claim is even less probable than the thesis it supports, your argument is in trouble. No offense, but I just want to grab you by the shoulders, shake you, and holler, "Wake up and look! Look about you!"

You just don't understand how momentous and novel this movement is, or how difficult it has been hitherto for women victims to seek justice. Two years ago there wasn't a Labour Too or Me Too movement ANYWHERE. The most a sapient defender of Tory Exceptionalism can say is, "There isn't a 'Tory Too' movement . . . . yet."

Let's consider three US examples of accused abusers who were nationally famous for decades before their victims risked public scrutiny:

When the Harvey Weinstein scandal hit, there were posts on this very forum that said, basically, "Hey, it's Hollywood, bimbos trading sex who didn't get what they bargained for. We all know how that works, nothing new to see here, let's move on." Then, crablouie, it all blew up in our faces.

Roy Moore, the "10 Commandments Judge," was (barely) defeated in his Alabama senatorial campaign when Leigh Corfman accused him of molesting her when she was 14 years old in 1979 (!) and was echoed by Beverly Young Nelson (16 in 1977 or 78), and Tina Johnson (28 in 1991). A majority of Republican voters still voted for Moore, some stating outright they'd rather be represented by a child molester than a Democrat. Some Republican office holders repudiated Moore, others, including our president, supported him. Had Nelson and Johnson not chimed in to show a pattern, Moore would probably be in the Senate today.

Just in the news the other day, the prosecutor of Bill Cosby, beloved comedian and accused serial rapist, has petitioned the judge in Cosby's re-trial to admit testimony from 19 women among the 60 who claim Cosby raped or molested them in incidents dating back to 1965. These women are unable to bring Cosby to the bar themselves because the statute of limitations on rape had expired by the time they were emboldened enough to speak out against this public icon. Even now, it looks as if there may be no justice for them.

In the light of these examples, I'll just reiterate what I said before, and you are welcome to do the same. "By denying that women will keep quiet about abuse and rape, you simply disqualify yourself from discussing the phenomenon."