article_snippet: Ex Labour home secretary said it was the responsibility of politicians to get such issues out in the open, but said there was a 'polite society' which meant that such issues are not talked about.
article_snippet: Jack Straw, Labour MP for Blackburn said friends of hers in the Labour Party had known about the abuse for years, but said nothing about it.
article_snippet: The two politicians made The two politicians comments on a documentary to be screened on Thursday and presented by Trevor Phillips, the former chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
article_snippet: But one politician who did not condemn the comments at the time was Mr Straw, home secretary from 1997 and 2001 and foreign secretary until 2006.
article_snippet: But I think that in politics you have a responsibility to get things out in the open.
article_snippet: Totally absurd: I mean, friends of mine in the Labour Party, friends of mine in the Labour Party'd known about it for years and friends of mine in the Labour Party never mentioned it to Mrs Cryer.'
highlights_snippet: Ex Labour home secretary said politicians had duty to raise such issues .
  
highlights_snippet: But said there was a 'polite society' meaning they were not talked about .
  