EDITOR'S CHOICE NEWS Update: Injured worker airlifted 400 caught in speed crackdown SPORT Duo released by United FOOD AND WINE Gee's, Banbury Road, Oxford A healthy approach to late-night burger vans WHAT'S ON High School Musical: New Theatre NEWS Bank details sold on eBay VOTE Are you happy that your details are securely held by the banks? Yes No GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 Councils choose joint chief 2 400 caught in speed crackdown 3 Police 'cracking down on trouble' 4 Wine by the half — and the 20 5 Alert over bogus salesmen 6 Young rally to project plea 7 A season's magical 15th year 8 United physio Sullivan joins Rams 9 Crash causes A34 delays 10 Man dies in cliff plunge Today | 7 Days 1 CRICKET: Oxon end on a high 2 UPDATE: Man dies in bypass crash 3 Crack dealer, 18, jailed, 4 CRICKET: Brooks sends Oxford top 5 Unfair fare 6 Ivy celebrates in style 7 Litter campaign pays off 8 Quad biker attacks PCSO 9 Fast track 10 What a cheek

Comment

This week's move of The Times's leader column from the centre to the front of the newspaper was much commented upon - well, at any rate in The Times itself. A self-congratulatory two-page article on Monday recalled celebrated leader articles supplied in the past by 'The Thunderer' (like the BBC with its 'Auntie' The Times can't resist the twee use of its own nickname).

Among these - predictably - was the 1967 article in which the editor William Rees-Mogg borrowed the words of Alexander Pope - "Who breaks a butterfly on a wheel?" - to urge the release from jail of the convicted druggies Mick Jagger and Keith Richard (without the 's' in those days). Their imprisonment is said to have offended against his "gentle liberalism".

But could this not be considered another error of judgment by a man so famous for them that he has long been known to Private Eye and its readers as Mystic Mogg? It could be argued that forcing the pair of rockers to serve their full sentences would have sent out a powerful anti-drug message which, in retrospect, was desperately needed at that time. Instead, they came out and helped to fashion a world in which drugs became the trendy norm.

I know because I was there.

3:00pm Wednesday 4th June 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login