FIA Oh Max, You silly bugger
- 21 May 2013
FIA president, Max Moseley’s campaign against some members of the British Motoring establishment and press (Martin Brundle, Jackie Stewart, Ron Dennis et al) was probably always likely to come to a sticky end but I doubt that many of them saw this one coming. Unfortunately for Max, the hookers did and so did the News of the World newspaper.
On a couple of points Max is probably right, what he does in the privacy of some-one else’s apartment is not really any-one else’s business so long as he is not breaking the law. And he wasn’t. He wasn’t even breaking with the British upper class’ tradition of enjoying a damned good spanking every now and again, after all their politicians have been getting sprung for these foibles for decades now. At least, unlike one former Home Secretary, he wasn’t wearing a pink tutu and stockings. Also, theoretically, what he does in private should have absolutely no bearing on how he runs his public affairs’ ie; the FIA.
Unfortunately, that just doesn’t work in the real world. A straight forward five hour spanking binge with hookers he may have just gotten away with, but surely the Nazi connotations of the event will finish his career. He may deny there was any Nazi flavour to the evening and true, there were no actual Nazi uniforms on display. But the dominatrix wearing the peaked cap, The girls being spanked while wearing striped prison pyjamas (which really only needed a Star of David to complete the image) and the German language “interrogations” including checking for lice and asking if they “had been properly cleaned at the last facility” lends a certain “tone” to the evening. And not a very pleasant one. And all this can be seen on the video clip that News of the World put on their website and is now plastered all over YouTube.
Perhaps I'm being a bit uncharitable towards their better characters, but I can't help seeing the mental image of the mornings first coffee spraying from the noses and mouths of Martin, Jackie and Ron as they read this in their morning papers.
Considering that Max’s father, Sir Oswald Moseley, was the founder of the British Union of Fascists (the British version of the Nazi Party) and had attended one of Hitler’s birthday parties, one would have thought that Max just might have had a heightened understanding of the sensitivity which surrounds the Nazi/Jewish prison camp issue. You would have thought that having such a personal connection to those ideals and events, Max would have never, under any circumstances become involved in such an event. Yes I know, it was just harmless fantasy role playing, but the consequences will be catastrophic. Hell. Even I wouldn’t have gone near this with a ten foot cattle prod if I’d been pissed as a parrot. And Max is an intelligent man, an internationally renowned lawyer. How could he be so stupid?
Apart from what his wife will think of this, although perhaps she already knew of this particular peccadillo, how will the FIA members, F1 race organizers and World Governments react? You can’t imagine the Jewish lobby in America standing by and allowing a F1 race at Indy, or anywhere else in the US for that matter while Max is still in charge of the FIA. I don’t suppose that too many Parisians will be happy to have Max back in his office on the Champs Elysees without a fairly vocal protest. Max used to hold FIA press conferences under strict control, all I can see from now, is every time he pisses off a journalist they will just hit him with a question on this issue and the whole thing will just turn into a farcical slanging match. Can anyone see him now commanding the respect of the major motor manufacturers as he tries to force through any future changes for the good of the sport?
Sorry Max, if it had only been the hookers you might have had some amused respect. You may have even gotten away with the spanking. But not with what has been shown on the videos so far. Maybe the whole video would show the event in a different context, but do you really want us to see the whole five hours? I sure as hell don’t.
And short of that, he’s got to go. Five stupid hours ruins fifty great years. What a waste.
Sam Snape