A gay leader would be good for the [Tory] party, says Duncan

[tjwmason]

Alan Duncan will today become the first openly homosexual man to set out his stall to lead the Conservative Party.

The shadow transport secretary, who is calling for Tories to champion the creation of "a country of liberal economics and liberal attitudes", has made it clear that he would like to stand for the leadership once a contest is declared.

<SNIP>

"Marks & Spencer was a fantastic brand in good times but if you have a lousy CEO and lousy knickers you don't do well. Like M & S we need both a good CEO and better frilly knickers."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/06/10/ntory10.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/06/10/ixportaltop.html

I'm trying desperately not to imagine him with a pair frilly knickers at the moment.

It would be an irony given that the Tory party nationally still consists of blue-rinsed ladies who still think that gay means 'happy', and would probably drop their gins and tonic if told what this was about; but then there is also a heady band of semi-closeted gays throughout the party.

It should also be noted that he uses the term liberal in its European sense, liberal economics means hard-line freemarket. He was famous for keeping a picture of Margaret Thatcher in his bedroom.