High farce and conspiracy to murder combine in the truth-stranger-than-fiction tale of Liberal MP Jeremy Thorpe, who almost became Deputy UK PM in 1974, with his attempt to silence his erstwhile homosexual lover, Norman Scott, at a time when such liaisons were still illegal. He assembled a hapless crew of helpers to handle blackmail claims and finally do the dirty deed with the only death being his lover’s dog. Thence to a luridly public trial, where almost everyone appears to have lied on both sides of the case; with a notoriously biased summing up by the judge. Thorpe was acquitted, though his career was ruined; while Scott, who was a fantasist but seems to have been correct in his accusations, was vilified in the press. Both men were bi-sexual and had been married. Hugh Grant stars in a BBC drama A Very English Scandal, starting tonight, which has garnered much praise in previews.
Thorpe, born 29 April 1929 London was a Sun Taurus trine Saturn Moon in Capricorn; with Jupiter, Mercury, North Node also in indulgent Taurus. His Mercury Jupiter were in an expansive, though slippery square to Neptune; and he had a determined and dominating Mars Pluto in Cancer square his Venus in Aries to fuel his romantic life.
The Taurus North Node often indicates a strong sex drive as well as an over-developed sense of defensivenss. Martin Schulman says in Karmic Astrology: ‘like a wounded animal can be deadly to any who represent the slightest threat’ – ‘appears jovial, while planning intrigues.’
Norman Scott, who is still alive, 12 February 1940, came from an ordinary family, but boasted of having an aristocratic background and was described by a journalist as having an “extraordinary talent for wheedling his way into people’s sympathy before turning their lives to misery with his hysterical temper-tantrums.”
He has an Aquarius Sun square Uranus, sextile a difficult Mars Saturn in Aries and inconjunct Neptune, so not an easy life or an easy temperament. His Jupiter (Moon) and Venus in Aries were conjunct Thorpe’s Uranus; and his Mars Saturn was conjunct Thorpe’s Venus – an adventurous and gritty mix.
On the relationship chart there’s an emphasised composite Jupiter Uranus conjunction square Pluto – risk-taking, disruptive, power-struggling for the upper hand.
Thorpe insisted to the end of his life there had been no relationship but the evidence is substantial. Next to Profumo it was the political sex scandal to end all.
Thank you, looks like it’s worth a watch, I shall tune in.