Let’s not leap to judge Justin

He’s worn blackface, he’s worn brownface and now he is wearing heap big red face.

You’d need to have a heart of stone not to laugh at the travails of righton Justin Trudeau. The Canadian prime minister has apologised and said he ‘should have known better’ after photos emerged of him wearing skin- darkening make- up at an Arabian Nights-themed party in 2001. He also admitted a further indiscretion, wearing black make-up while performing The Banana Boat song at high school.

Oh dear. The charismatic politician rose to power on the kind of impeccable, libertarian Left-wing credentials that make Nick Clegg look like Attila the Hun. He has tried to excuse himself for his misdemeanours by saying he is more enthusiastic about costumes than is ‘appropriate’. That’s one way to put it, daddio. His political enemies have insisted that his fancy-dress escapades were an open act of mockery and racism, and just as racist 18 years ago as they are now.

Is that really true? It was clearly acceptable at the posh school in Vancouver where he was working as a teacher at the time.

No one seemed to think it was in bad taste then, and it seems harsh to judge Trudeau’s yesterday on the mores of today. In fact, it is ridiculous to try to shame him for something that was not deemed offensive at the time.

It reminds me of this nonsense about punishing the UK for its role in the international slave trade, when our enlightenment and compassion made us global leaders in abolishing the wretched practice.

Those who seek to make political gain or punish people forever for the stupidity of youth, or insist on the past always being reflected through the prism of today, should desist.

stop being faux-shocked at all the wrong things.

It may be egg- on-face time for Trudeau but you’re the ones with scrambled morals.