Just to be clear about this, this has nothing to do with the fact that he has had homosexual relationships. Its about the fact that he allowed those working for him to attack someone (in a way that would in any case be unacceptable) for something that he himself also did/does.

Contrary to your pessimistic view of politicians I think that is probably pretty rare.

As for how he deals with it, well, IMHO you deal with that by not doing it in the first place. OK, it is better that he is penitent than unrepentant, (though it might have been more convincing if he hadn't waited utnil it was all forced out in the leadership campaign) but better still would be not to be the sort of person did it at all. And, sure, people change, I dare say he wouldn't do it now, but I know I would not have allowed anyone to run a homophobic campaign for me when I was in my twenties, or however old he was, still less would it ever at any time have occured to me to attack someone for something I was doing myself.

And I think and hope I am in the majority of the human race on that.

I do find it hard to be wholly objective about this, and the reason is simply that I smarted through the 90s as a succession of Tory scumbags were outed (I mean Aitken, Archer, Hamilton, not the sex ones, I couldn't have cared less about those), and all the while we had the moral lectures from the LDs who "weren't like" other parties and who were "honest" and "constructive" and, blah blah blah, you know the script. And what would you know but in the last month we've had three of the most senior members of the party outed as an alcoholic, a user of rent boys, and an arrant hypocrite. They were as bad as anyone else all along, well who would have thought it?

Sorry but IMHO the whole party is a disgusting boil on the body politic, filled largely with the pus of middle class self loathing. If they were to disappear entirely to be replaced by Respect on the far left and Labour in the centre left I will be very happy.