The Independent demonstrates the perils faced by a PC paper

I’ve been waiting for any follow-up to a story in yesterday’s Independent on Sunday, relating the sadly familiar tale of a female domestic servant being kept in slavery and subjected to abuse by a diplomatic family in London. The woman claims that she was beaten and sexually assaulted by a diplomat and his “royal” wife, and has been granted £20,000 in unpaid wages by an employment tribunal, but has no way of obtaining it as the couple has returned home and are hiding behind diplomatic immunity.

Well, that’s diplomats for you, some will say, implying that UK diplomats probably do the same sort of thing. Well, as an ex-diplomat, I can say confidently that our chaps would not be able to get away with anything of the sort. I’m not saying that our lot don’t occasionally park in the wrong place or drive after a tincture or two too many, knowing that the cops won’t touch a car with CD plates, but if they killed someone in the latter capacity they’d get the book thrown at them.

But other nations may not be so squeamish. Some of the commentators in the Indie are just to sweet for words. One recommends contacting the local press of the country involved, saying “the local press of those countries would be more than willing to publish and expose the culprits publicly”. Bless!

We’re talking about a country where diplomats have “royal” wives. Which one? Well, the abused woman doesn’t want to be named. Understandable enough. The Indie doesn’t name the employers either, “because the victim fears reprisals”. Fair enough. She claims they have “power in her country” and have issued death threats to her and her families. Well, which country was it? Nobody is saying. But I guess it isn’t Denmark.

So, then, we’ve got a country which can abuse people with complete impunity on British soil, and which can frighten into silence not only a poor woman and her family in a poor country, but also a leading UK newspaper. Well, if no-one’s saying, we’re at liberty to guess. Where’s your money?

But, interestingly, they couldn’t frighten the Indie enough to spike the story altogether. Well done, Indie, especially the “royal” giveaway. But one can only imagine the editorial conferences there:

“Look, we have to run this story. We’re a feminist newspaper!”

“But we’re a progressive newspaper too, and it may involve people it would be very unprogressive to offend.”

“Never mind that! Women’s lives are at stake! What would Joan Smith say?”

“Well, what would Robert Fisk say? And (mysteriously) it isn’t only Robert Fisk…”

And thus a compromise is hammered out, in which the story is run but no country is mentioned. Like the time they did a feature on honour killings without the slightest reference to which faith communities are involved, as if honour killings are just as likely to occur in gated communities outside Weybridge.

It must be jolly hard work being PC. Thank Heaven we on the penumbra of the Telegraph don’t have to bother…