Liam Fox: I Just Got Caught Out

• The Liam Fox affair is not an isolated incident but redolent of the kind of clubby atmosphere, old-school-tie, friend-of-a-friend and blatant nepotism that infects our political and business circles. Do people advance solely on merit or ability? In truth, the way to the top is eased by unpaid internships, networking and that old slogan: "It isn't what you know but who you know." What is startling is Fox's born-to-the-manor, patrician, arrogant insouciance. His grudging, partial and terminologically confusing apology doesn't fool anyone. Liam Fox's cardinal sin? Getting found out.

Richard Knights
Liverpool

• Isn't it wonderful what you can say with words? "Mistakes were made," says Dr Fox, in which it becomes the fault of the mistakes, as he has made them the subject of the verb, eliminated himself from the sentence and neatly diverted the blame from the guilty party. They always do that: just listen to the next politician caught up in sleaze.
Rob Harris
Stinchcombe, Gloucestershire

• Seeing the difficulties that descended on David Cameron when he gave Andy Coulson "a second chance" for past errors, would it be unwise for him to do the same for Liam Fox in the light of him "freely admitting [he] made a mistake"?
Pauline Wilson
Abingdon, Oxfordshire

• I've heard that David Cameron would like to sack Liam Fox but – and I promise I am not making this up – he has a cat.
Dave Eyre
Sheffield

Letters to The Guardian.

'Mr Fox has been under pressure over the past week after revelations about his friendship with lobbyist Adam Werritty.
'He has also denied claims Conservative officials lied about a break-in at his home last year following claims in the Sun they were told he was alone at the time when in fact a man stayed overnight.
'Mr Fox said he was appalled at being portrayed as someone who had something to hide.
'He said he told police a friend was staying in the guest room and added for "clarity" that it was not Mr Werritty.'

BBC News.
It's cute the way The Sun stresses it was a "younger man".

It's worth noting that talk of Liam Fox's "private life" became a central part of the chatter on Radio 4's Today programme for the first time this morning.
Mention of "innuendo", that he had been rumoured to be gay before he got married, and that he had publicly denied it.
This chatter may get deafening the longer this farce drags on.

Oh, and don't forget, today is National Coming Out Day.
Just sayin'!