This Stuart Hall business

This Stuart Hall business has me worried.  For anyone reading this who doesn’t follow British news stories, Stuart Hall is/was a television broadcaster who has worked for the BBC most of his life.  At the age of 83 he now stands accused of indecently assaulting young women and girls over 30 years ago, more specifically between 1967 and 1985.   The papers are suggesting he may expect a prison sentence.   As he has a heart complaint and a short life expectancy it is probable he will die in prison.

From the number of complaints coming in, it is clear that Hall has been a sexual predator and something of a creep, but I am bothered by the nature of the complaints reported so far.  One woman, now in her 60s, claimed to have had most of her life blighted after Hall bought her a vodka and lime and tried to stick his hand up her skirt when she was 16.  Another woman, now retired from the police force, has made a formal complaint that Hall grasped one of her clothed breasts when she was 17. 

 

Whilst retaining the ability to carry a long haul grudge, these women appear to have completely forgotten the way the sexes related to each other in the 60s and 70s.  Some men, certainly not all, were grabbers and prodders.  We warned each other off them with bad jokes. “Watch out for him, he’s got desert disease” (Wandering palms – ha ha).    With our short haircuts and our miniskirts we were branded as “Dolly Birds” and the tabloids said that youth was the most desirable thing and probably the younger the better.  The re-birth of feminism in the 60s not only opened up work and life opportunities for women, but it started to lay down rules of what was and was not acceptable.   And by doing so, it also changed the way that men and women related to each other.

It is significant that there have been no offences reported against Hall since 1985.  It seems he knew when to pack it in.  If we are now going to prosecute him for ancient fumblings, we are going to have to seek out all the sexually predatory men of the 60s and 70s.  And, goodness, there were a lot of them.  But, of course, no-one can remember their names as they weren’t on the telly.