I’m a hugger.

Always have been. Probably a deep-seated insecurity thing, but I hug. Men, women, girls and boys, I hug. Unconditionally. Especially women. But I generally don’t ‘cop a feel’ unless I can get away with it, or I’m paying good money for it. And as most of the men I hug are old and ugly, who’d want to feel that???? I come from a family of huggers. Maybe my ancestors were pick-pockets, I don’t know, but I grew up with hugs and that’s kind’a what we do.

Some people don’t feel comfortable being hugged. Well tough shit. Close your eyes and think of England. Others reciprocate too enthusiastically and it becomes almost sexual foreplay. In Waitrose. By the yoghurt counter.

Yet you have to be careful with all this hugging. Rule 1: don’t hug strangers. Even if you really want to. Because she might slap.

Dave Lee Travis, noted (who???) old BBC radio DJ and Top of the Pops host, ‘back in the day’ is also a hugger. Well, was also a hugger. He’s probably slowed his huggish tendencies by now. Court cases do that to you. And for some reason I believe his protestations of innocence to the charges of sexual assault. What did it for me was one of the witnesses, Dee Dee Wilde. One of the first group of (appalling) dancers known as Pan’s People who pranced around every week on that very tv show. And they made up for any lack of artistic skill and dainty-danciness by being gorgeous and wearing very little that wasn’t diaphanous or invisible. And Dee Dee said in court that DLT indeed hugged them every week, but in a very ‘uncle-ish’ sort of way. No groping. No groin thrusting. No wandering hands. Just nice, safe, warm hugs. Every week for all the years they worked together. And I believe her because she was so gorgeous, back in that very day when it all allegedly happened. I can actually say that his failure to grope a Pan’s Person, when given the chance would actually indicate that he’s either gay or completely asexual.

Working on the ‘no smoke without fire’ principal DLT must be guilty, but I feel for him. As opposed to feeling him up. Which would be horrible.

Whereas William Roach was acquitted of all charges yesterday. And his charges were not mere gropage and naughtiness but rape, pillage and plunder. Then more rape. And serious sexual assault. And for some reason (maybe because he looks like a weasel and always seemed to have slightly less personality than a door-frame) I’d already found him guilty on all charges. But these were serious allegations, horrible ones, nasty and abusive. So why take 40 years to come forward? I can’t believe every one of his accusers and all of their parents (those who were told) felt too intimidated or ashamed to come forth? Rape is a vile crime and its very very difficult to prove. And that’s if it happened yesterday. 40 years ago? No chance.

It all comes back to Jimmy Savile. Who has been declared ‘too dead to testify’.

Happy Friday

A xxxx