Notes On A Scandal

Lately there have been some great examples of political scandals; and as a result some great examples of reactions to scandal. So in a break from current affairs let’s admire the politician’s way to cope with bitchiness, backstabbing and revelations.

Reaction 1 - Outright denial

1. John Edwards - In August '08 John Edwards admitted having an extramarital affair with a former aide. However, he vigorously denied the paternity of her child. Another aide claimed paternity of the child however this denial would turn out to be a potentially crippling blow for Edwards career...
2. 'Forces of Hell' - This week Chancellor Alistair Darling suggested that the 'forces of hell' had been unleashed on him following his claims about the depth of the recession in 2008. It is notable that he not only implicated the Prime Minister, but also the Conservative Party. Despite this, Cameron has had an absolute field day with this story. This was one part of a very bad week for GB's government....

Reaction 2 - Word Games

1. Mandelson on bullying - In the other part of the controversial week which many have believed has signalled the death blow for Brown's government the PM was accused of having bullied much of the staff of No 10 resulting in several of them calling anti-bullying helplines. Instead of outright denying the claims Peter Mandelson suggested that Gordon Brown was 'assertive' and 'passionate'. A wolf in sheep's clothing or a true justification of the actions of the PM? We'll see. In an ironic twist Brown has found support in Enterprise Tsar Sir Alan Sugar who suggested that a hot-tempered leader was just the sort that he would like to lead a country. I have to say I'm not sure if a guy whose borrowed catchphrase is 'you're fired' is the best to judge/comment on/advise on bullying claims.
2. Lewinsky Affair - One of the most famous quotes from a President ever, and probably the most famous of Bill Clinton's career is 'I did not have sex with that woman'. It was claimed that Clinton had an affair with White House employee Monica Lewinsky and in a speech to the nation he denied it using the above quote among others. However, turned out that Slick Willy actually meant that he didn't have penetrative sex with that woman - oral sex suddenly didn't count. Oh you sly dog, using the grasp of English gained through a PPE degree to worm your way out of a very sticky situation. In the end though, as always, the media ensured that the truth came out.
   

Reaction 3 - Grovelling Apology

1. John Edwards (yep for the second time) - In January 2010, in the midst of a court case, Edwards came forward and accepted paternity of his daughter, Quinn. He apologised primarily to Quinn, for denying her, and to his wife Elizabeth. Despite this Elizabeth left Edwards in mid-February probably because by this time Edwards had repeatedly lied to her about the extent of the affair. Ultimately Edwards embarrassed himself and may well have screwed up his career for good. His bad.
2. Tiger Woods - OK so he's not a politico but he deserves a highly honourable mention, mainly because many on this list could have learnt from it. Following revelations about his personal life Woods disappeared for two and a half months, before making a very public televised apology, in which he admitted all he had done and apologised to his wife, children, parents, sponsors and fans. Somehow I suspect he caught everyone in that large net! Although he has lost some of his credibility he hasn't self-imploded or destroyed his career, and that's something all of the above could do with.
   

Though maybe the final point that should be made in this post is why do we perceive that our politicians personal lives reflect on their political ability at all? Even if their spouses don't trust them, or they aren't best friends with their associates, many of the most high powered women and men in the world perform their jobs with admirable competence. So why on Earth do we care?