We have a fine tradition in this country of understanding that what a political player does in private with their privates is not of necessity any reflection on their ability to meet the requirements of their office. With that in mind I just can’t get excited about the silliness committed by Peter Dowling . Yes the idea of sending pictures of your penis in a glass of wine is a bit of a larf but is it really a scandal?
Lets look at the facts, firstly the woman involved was a consenting adult , secondly as far as we know there were no breaches of the criminal law by Dowling, thirdly after the affair was over the woman spurned has made public the indiscreet pictures.
If there has been a failure of ethics here I would say the guilty party here is the woman who has broken the tacit agreement involved in any relationship that intimacies will remain private . That includes silly pictures sent between lovers because I can’t help thinking that the salacious pictures would have been only coming from Dowling if they were the erotic currency of the affair (it is to his credit that he has not splashed pictures of the woman’s girly bits all over the media)
Finally lets remember that its not only conservative pollies you play away (Bob Hawke, anyone?) its inseparable from our humanity and our sexuality that human beings fall in love (or lust) and the simple fact is that its not a conscious choice and that people in love do silly things. People spurned in love do even sillier things.
Cheers Comrades
Related articles
- Peter Dowling: Australian MP mixes sexting with a nice glass of wine (theguardian.com)
- Penis. Wine. Penis Wine. That Is All, Just Penis Wine. (wonkette.com)
- Qld Ethics Committee chair, Peter Dowling, accused of sending explicit texts to mistress (abc.net.au)
- Qld parliament ethics boss in porn scandal (news.theage.com.au)
- Queensland MP stands down as ethics committee head over sexting allegations (theguardian.com)
- FRESH : Sexting Scandel: Weiner is Still In, Australia’s MP “Peter Dowling” Out (sacratomatovillepost.com)
- Australian MP in sexting scandal (itv.com)
Iain Hall's SANDPIT 
A ‘wine cocktail’ is not the greatest drink, or look, especially for a politician, Iain. He deserves the boot for just being an idiot and not knowing that any such photo will eventually become public. That said, I do also hope the photos of her bits become public too, although going by the pixallated footage of her interview, maybe it’s something we’d rather not see.
Ray
Its not like he has been doing any thing that bad,Politicians are just human beings and subject to the same foibles as anyone else. Can I suggest that we consider him in the same way as we considered Lara Bingle over that photo published by Brendan what’s his name? as I see it the situations are quite similar but unlike Bingle Dowling is not being seen as a “victim” he is being seen as a perp which strikes me as a pretty gross double standard by any measure.
I think if it had just been a sneak shot of Dowling in the shower (covering up his privates like Bingle covered hers) taken by the other person, then yeah, he’d be the victim, like Bingle clearly was (although I’m sure she didn’t mind the publicity). But this was a ‘selfie’ by Dowling. Of his dick. In a wine glass. Man’s a fool. An old fool. And he deserves what he’s copping.
She’s what used to be know as a ‘Gold Digger, me thinks.
And don’t you two guys get any ideas of posting your happy snaps on here, either… 😆 😯
Ray
I think that you are being far too judgemental here because we blokes are all fools when it comes to sex and or love.
James
This is as close as I get to a happy snap or a selfie , in fact I am far more discreet about posting selfies of any description because I have seen how they can be missused
Blokes are fools when they’re getting their rocks off, Iain – for sure. But some of us are not foolish enough to take pics of ‘Mr Johnson’ and send them to anyone, no matter how close they might be. If anyone wants to see my ‘Mr Johnson’ then they can see it in person (no cameras allowed!).