Belly,
When I said that i may not have all the details correct, I was, and am working from memory.

Am I not correct in saying that Brogden made advances to a female journalist and she disclosed this. Now you mention it, I recall a couple of other Lib party members having something to do with it, but do not recall what. There is more dirty politics within parties than between them.

The common connection with Brogden to that of Della Bosca is that they both resigned because they brought embarassment to themselves and their party by being dishonest to their wives.

*The common connection with Brogden to that of Della Bosca is that they both resigned because they brought embarassment to themselves and their party by being dishonest to their wives.*

Banjo, on this one I will have to agree to disagree with you, for
in my humble opinion, relationships are complicated affairs and
not so easy to judge from the outside, so I normally don't try.
In my opinion, they are also between the two parties, so private
affairs.

So should I condem Bill Clinton, because he took advantage of a
blow job being offered by a young admirer? Sheesh, Hilary might
be great for mental stimulation, I could be wrong be personally
I don't see her crawling under the desk and giving him a thrill.

So people condem Clinton for his fling, then welcome Bush as prez.
Ok, he didn't have a fling that we know of, but do you really think
that America and the world were better off?

If it had been up to me, I would have paid Monika a high salary to
give Bill his thrills, so that he could then focus on real and
important issues. The world would have been a better place for it.

What if a wife uses sex as a weapon? What if a wife has no interest
in her husband? etc.

I just think that relationships and sex lives are private and complicated issues and should be kept out of politics.

I judge politicians by their politicial judgements, not by how
they got their rocks off and why.

PS, when I was married, I was actually faithfull to my wife, for
my own reasons and how they related to our relationship. But
others relationships and situations are just too complicated for
me to try and pass judement, I would not even try to do so.

Yabby,
We will have to agree to disagree because I fail to see how a married person can have an affair and still be deemed to be trustworthy.

It is not the act of sex that is the problem, it is the fact that they lie and cheat. So where do you draw the line? What ammount of dishonesty are you prepared to accept from a politician.

Do you think that a politician should be outed because he cheated on his car allowance. What if a poly was caught shoplifting, last i heard shoplifting was stealing.

Lets not have double standards and we should expect high standards from those we elect to represent us.

*Do you think that a politician should be outed because he cheated on his car allowance. What if a poly was caught shoplifting, last i heard shoplifting was stealing.*

Oh absolutaly they should be outed, I see those as actual crimes!

Banjo, I just happen to know quite a few marriages where people
live in the same house, have kids together, have shared business
interests etc, where unravelling all that is just too darn difficult
so they stay in their marriages, but are in fact quite lonely people.

IMHO it is just too difficult for me to pass judgement on these
people and condem them for having a fling on the side. I just don't
know the circumstances and I frankly think it is their business, not
my business.

There is actually an old joke about this, " why is the bride smiling
as she walks down the alter? -cause that's the last head job that
she ever gave :) "

The sad reality is that people often do change once that ring is on
their finger and in some circumstances its just not so easy to
walk away, for all sorts of reasons.

I know quite a few farmers, who if they decided to split, would have
to give up farming, as they would lose half their land and become
unviable. That would kill em, its not just their livelyhood but
their way of life. If the wife has given them the cold shoulder for
the last 5 years or more, should I condem them? I don't.

As I mentioned, I was faithfull whilst I was married for my own
reasons, but if I had a wife who tried to use sex as a weapon
or whatever, I would see that as so unfair and immoral that I
would be actively looking to play up!

So I'm not going to pass judgement about a politician, male or female,
based on their sexual habits. They make enough other decisions for me
to do that.

Banjo,

If I recall correctly, John Brogden was hounded out of his position as then Leader of the Opposition not because he was involved in any marital infidelity, but because he was accused of having made a tasteless remark with respect to the wife of the then Premier, Bob Carr, as having been a 'mail order bride', at a Liberal Party function.

As Belly so correctly observes, this erstwhile relatively 'unpublic' remark (in my opinion of the character of 'barracks humour') was seized upon by SLUGS IN HIS OWN PARTY and then PUBLICISED by THEM, presumably with a view to either terminating his political career, or because it looked like he might lead his party to electoral victory at the 'wrong time'. (I'd back the latter.)

I would suspect that both Bob Carr and his wife may have both had quite a degree of sympathy for John Brogden after the event, despite the insensitivity at the time of his reported remarks. Brogden's seemingly instinctive reaction to it all becoming public was far more honourable than that of many in 'politics' these days. A quick analysis would say that his 'party' (that of the 'slugs') did not deserve him. That's not intended to elevate what he himself clearly recognised was tasteless and hurtful, but merely to emphasise the general level to which many in the claque of a party to which he 'belonged' had, and has, sunk.

As to how this all may relate to the political career of John Della Bosca, I can only say that as an unashamed practitioner of barracks humour (amongst those who've been, my lads, and seen, my lads) I see certain parallels with that of the seeming end of the political career of John Brogden.

I question as to whether both the 'Iguanagate affair' and this latter affair have attained the publicity they have because John Della Bosca was perceived to be standing in the way of the fire-sale sell-off of NSW electricity generation assets. I thinks OLO contributors have to lift their sights a bit.

What say you?

Whether politicians resign or not if their past conduct warrants it they will usually suffer at the hands of the electorate next poll, but only if an acceptable alternative is available.

Perhaps a broad code of conduct for ministers and others holding public positions is warranted. - Although for most politicians it would still be like trying to trap a rat in a wire netting cage.

Whatever happened to the NT govt's proposed code of conduct for ministers and other elected members? - It was proposed after the long tongue incident.