Daytime beauties

So Belle de Jour, the anonymous author of online blog and books ‘Secret diary of a London call girl’ revealed her true identity last week, bringing to the news the topic of prostitution: whether it’s irresponsible to glamorise the industry as Belle and the TV spin-offs did; should prostitution be legalised?; should society do more to help those forced into the trade?


Obviously, I’m no expert in the trade, although many were quick to draw parallels between me and my new found enjoyment of blogging, my not always subtle expression of my sexuality, and the fact that Belle turned out to be a scientist from Bristol ! Having read her story, I can appreciate how she found herself to be exploiting the desires of men to fund her PhD. There may be more to her background than we are lead to believe, but should her call-girl past really be so taboo? The fact that her life turned out this way says more about the increasing cost of higher education and the desperate situations that many students face having accumulated so much debt, than it does about her character. I confess, on realising at the end of my degree I owed over 20k, I once seriously entertained the prospect of working as an escort myself. Fate, and perhaps self respect intervened, but the reality is, most women who turn to prostitution don’t have a choice.

The sad truth of the majority of cases of prostitution is that the men and women who find themselves resorting to such measures, have limited options. Society should not just ignore prostitution, but address the reasons why it happens. It is well said that prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. Men and women have sold sex for centuries and will do so for centuries more. Criminalising the act will not stop it happening. So legalise prostitution. Take the victims off the streets and provide regulated accommodation where those that are likely to benefit from support can be offered help. Maybe the five young women from Suffolk, murdered a few years ago, might still be alive if this approach had been taken.

Legalising prostitution would most certainly rid the trade would of much of the stigma that is currently attached to selling sex, and possibly to sex in general. Who knows, there might even be a knock on effect of reducing the ridiculous teenage pregnancy rate we have in this country; Holland is a good example of this. So long as sex is kept it clean, consensual, and with good contraception where necessary, what exactly is the problem? It is, after all, a well documented medical fact that regular good sex improves ones health.

With a legal and regulated vocation of ‘tantric training’, daytimes beauties might become as commonplace as women of the night. I, therefore, applaud Belle de Jour’s confidence to monetise her sexuality and admire her determination to succeed.

The Poppy wars

I am wondering why no-one has commented on the irony of the Poppy symbol for Armistice Day and its links with Afghanistan. Perhaps it’s not politically correct to do so, but given the increasing gravity of the situation in Afghanistan and the wish of the majority of Britons to support their troops, it seems a little ignorant not to point out the obvious.

With the devastating loss of so many young soldiers recently and the current intensification of British military activity in Afghanistan, what was dubbed the ‘war on terror’ is at the forefront of public concerns. Families of those who have been killed want to know what we are fighting for.


The US and British governments, and state controlled news media would have us believe that continued military presence is necessary to secure safe and fair elections, and maintain political stability. There was little attempt, at least, to deny that both governments supported an outcome favourable to the western world.


The truth is probably less savoury. The so called ‘war on terror’ is now predominantly led by counter-narcotics initiatives. The control of thousands of acres of poppy fields by the Taliban for the production of heroin and generation of cash continues to ensure their survival. The cash is put back into weapons and the war continues. On the face of it then, should one country’s political activities be of such concern to the British government? No-one seems quite as bothered by events in the Democratic Republic of Congo or Zimbabwe. When you consider the underlying reasons, however, there appears to be much stronger justification for continuing war efforts in Afghanistan. So why doesn’t the government just tell the truth?


Should eradication of Afghan poppy fields be one of Britain’s primary military objectives? I don’t have a better answer for how to control worldwide demand for narcotics and continued fuelling of terrorism. So until I do, I will trust current military objectives and offer my full support to every man and woman, young and old who has risked his life in the name of protecting his country. To me the poppy is a symbol representing the possibility of peace, and the duty for all of us to find a way.