Essay Questions

Jeremy Thorpe was considered a "young gun" and a potential high flyer. What were some of the things in his life that would prevent him from reaching the top office in the land?

There were several things in Thorpe's life that prevented him from getting right to the top, and becoming Prime Minister. The key one was his choice of political party. Thorpe was an upper class man from an upper class family. His education - firstly at Eton College, secondly at Oxford University - would suggest that he should follow those who had gone before him into the Conservative Party. This was one of the two main parties in Britain's three party system.

However, Thorpe gravitated instead to the Liberal Party, which effectively put an end to his ambitions of the top office in the country. In this three party system, the main parties are the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. The role of the Liberal Party is to act as the foil to both of the major parties, and sometimes to act as the swing vote, the decider, the deal maker. By becoming Liberal Party leader, Thorpe had gone as far as he could possibly go as a Liberal politician.

Why was there more interest in Thorpe's sexual identity than in his possible criminal involvement in a murder?

There is far more shame in England in being involved in a scandal than there is in being involved in a crime - involvement in a crime can be lived down, but involvement in a scandal is something that can never be left behind or forgotten. The main reason that the case proved to be so scandalous is the fact that it insinuated that Thorpe was gay. At the time, homosexuality was barely legal. At best, it was frowned upon, and it was almost always secret. There were groups that existed with the sole purpose of "outing" famous gay men, and nobody seemed to have a right to privacy when it came to their sexuality. There had long been rumors about Thorpe's sexuality but he had consistently denied that he was gay. The closest he came to admitting it was when his attorney stated that he had fought with homosexual tendencies as a very young man and had overcome them.

Had Thorpe been accused of involvement in the murder of someone who was not said to be his lover, there would have been fascination but not the same salacious interest in the case. However, because the victim was said to be his lover, the plot became all the more like a soap opera, and the public was hooked.