Homophone homosexuality

The revelation that Crispin Blunt, the prisons minister, was a closet homosexual, got me thinking about Quentin Crisp, author The Naked Civil Servant, another among the upper echelons of society to be saddled with a name that would invite ridicule from less-than-open-minded individuals. Factor in Anthony Blunt (sadly there is no-one with the Christian name Blunt) and we've got a high-class six degrees of Kevin Bacon going on, something where one must be more familiar with Debretts and Who's Who than Variety and having a sizeable filmic knowledge. It works for any eminence, but might pall as a party game.

Blunt's actions are very apt to his name, given that he has probably shattered the confidence of his wife in the run-up to what would have been a very happy occasion for the whole family. To pull the plug on the marriage just before the 20th wedding anniversary may serve a visceral purpose for him, but ignores the needs of those close to him. He should at least have gone through what would have been a charade for him and then a few months after that declared it was over. As it is, Blunt has gone down the selfish route, reflecting growing trends in this country.

Returning to the theme of the highermost rungs of British life, while I was setting for publication this week's Daily Telegraph Kindred Spirits pages, I noticed a new ad that stipulated as one of the conditions for union "You will be privately educated," which could mean either only public school toffs or home-schooled (for your parents must be rich) pupils need apply - no room for grammar school or bog-standard comprehensive oiks (I'm sure they're kicking themselves) - or it could have a promise for the future of being initiated into some sort of personal domination activities. Or both.