The ongoing focus on political fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal is a displacement activity that prevents society from reckoning with systemic misogyny, according to a prominent commentator. In a recent opinion piece, Marina Hyde argues that the media's obsession with individual players like Peter Mandelson diverts attention from the mass abuse of women and girls at the heart of the story.
Melinda French Gates, ex-wife of Bill Gates, addressed the scandal on a podcast, stating she is 'so happy to be away from all the muck' and suggesting that questions remain for others, including her former husband. Hyde notes that while French Gates fronted up, many men named in the latest Epstein files remained hidden.
Hyde criticises the intense focus on Mandelson, who offered Epstein image rehab advice but was not accused of sexual abuse, calling it a 'remorseless focus on political fallout' rather than the 'male-on-female debasement' central to the case. She describes the New Statesman cover characterising the Mandelson affair as 'the scandal of the century' as misplaced.
The article also highlights Steve Bannon's involvement, including a documentary he produced called 'The Monsters', in which he now calls Epstein a 'globalist child molester'. Correspondence released in a recent file dump shows Bannon previously suggested Epstein establish a foundation for human trafficking, which Hyde believes would have been a fake philanthropy venture to gain access to vulnerable victims.
Hyde concludes that the current distractions, driven 'subconsciously or consciously by men', allow society to avoid confronting how powerful men talk and think about women. She points to Epstein's own comments about supporting Time's Up as evidence of his ability to shapeshift, arguing that the real scandal is the widespread complicity of wealthy donors.
