The opposite of virtue is not Vice. It’s the Daily Mail. This week, Centre Parcs announced that it would be joining an increasing number of brands – Lego, Paperchase, the Southbank Centre – who have chosen to stop advertising in the newspaper. The catalyst this time was an article by Richard Littlejohn, in which he approached the subject of same-sex parenting with his typical pose of bemused middle Englander – all the more sharply defined from the vantage point of his Florida villa.
The piece – which tore into dads-to-be Tom Daley and his partner Dustin Lance Black – was criticised in some quarters as ‘homophobic’. Cue the PR of moral outrage. Rather than buying an advert in the Mail, Centre Parcs got acres of free coverage elsewhere – while reaffirming its commitment to modern ‘family values’ – thanks to its decision. Will this encourage Guardianistas to forgo their usual Tuscan getaways for a jumbo lodge in Sherwood Forest? Probably not.
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