Let me see if I understand correctly from some of the comments already made.

Mistress = slut, homewrecker and possibly predator

Husband = stud but still one of the boys (nudge nudge wink wink)who was a poor innocent led astray by abovementioned slut

Wife = hard done by but probably a nag or a shrew (thus probably deserves it)

My heart bleeds for Della Bosca to be led astray like that. The poor widdle diddums who was tempted by that nastie pastie blonde.

Geesh...what about personal responsibility - he was the one with a wife who had said love 'til death us do part.

What about the fact that he was off having sex with his mistress while he was supposed to be opening some health centre in NSW and missed his plane. What about the rights of the voters to be represented by a politician who has his eye on the ball ('scuse the pun).

Whether the paper has dealt with this fairly is a moot point - whenever do journos exercise judgement when the whiff of a scandal presents itself.

Frankly no-one really cares - pollies have been having affairs for years - but to make this young woman the fall guy for Della Bosca really takes the cake.

Politicians are not perfect nor are they saints, just ordinary people with flaws like any of us, but please lets not paint them as the poor innocents in this debacle.

I think we're asking the wrong questions here.

We vote them in on their ability to represent us.
What they do in their private lives -is their
business as long as it doesn't affect their ability
to do their job.
Look at Bob Hawke's track record with women - it
did not affect his becoming our PM.

In this case - the question that needs to be
asked is - did this affair impinge on his job
as Health Minister? That should be the only concern of
his Electorate. All the rest is a private matter -
which undoubtedly the media is going to milk for all
it's worth.

Pelican”Geesh...what about personal responsibility - he was the one with a wife who had said love 'til death us do part.”

C’mon now Pelican, we don’t know what the vows were, god only knows what sort of finger crossing would go on when two politicians hook up.

Foxy:”did this affair impinge on his job as Health Minister?”

He wasn’t taking any interest in some poor old dude left on a bedpan for days while he got his end away.

The question becomes, what sort of personal ethics do we wish for in a Health Minister? Or any Minister I guess.

Who really cares anyway?
Somebody went after him and succeeded but he has no-one to blame for it but himself.
As for whether it affected his role as a politican I believe that not only Hawke but Abraham Lincoln, Benjamin Disraeli and numerous others had the same flaw.
Perhaps we're on the verge of a new era of political assassination by sleaze. If so I imagine there will be a lot of nervousness on both sides of the House.

"C’mon now Pelican, we don’t know what the vows were, god only knows what sort of finger crossing would go on when two politicians hook up."

Good point Pied. Maybe it was 'til death do us part or until something better comes along'.

The murder of developer Michael McGurk makes this mid-life crisis story pale in comparison. New revelations that Mr McGurk held taped evidence about senior NSW Government visitors and pay-offs is probably something far more worthy of our angst.

If I was a NSW resident I would even vote Liberal to get this bunch out and that is saying something.

Pelican & Piper

Excellent comments.

There will always be starry eyed 20-somethings and boorish older men who think they are sex gods - such is life.

Pelican, I agree with you about the utter corruption of the NSW government - Labor show all the decadent symbols of being in power too long. I'm not sure if I could bring myself to vote Liberal to get rid of them and am mighty relieved I don't live in NSW.

As you say the murk surrounding the case of Michael McGurk (perfect name for a corrupt murder victim - but I digress), is worthy of debate. Unlike this pathetic attempt for a discussion.

BTW, currently in production is a telemovie, charting the life and times of Bob Hawke from the 70's to the 90's. And the production is not hiding Bob's predilection for the "ladies".