Of all scandals involving public figures, the ones that are relished most are those in which the protagonist has been found to be privately indulging in behaviour they have publicly condemned. Is the real issue the hypocrites’ inability to live up to their own high standards, or their moralistic condemnation of behaviour that is perfectly reasonable? Should we demand more transparency? Or does a focus on private life reflect diminished expectations about what people can and should achieve in the public sphere? Filmed at the Battle of Ideas this debate is a winner.
