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Della Bosca joins long list of upstanding members
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Billy Snedden, John Gorton, Harold Holt and Robert Menzies were adulterers, yet none of them resigned because of it, nor did any newspaper suggest an early election because of it. Sir James Killen committed adultery with a fellow minister, Bob Hawke with his biographer Blanche d ‘Alpuget, Ben Chifley with his secretary, John Curtin with his landlady if we are to believe David Day. Sir Henry Parkes was a notorious fondler and swiver. Don Dunstan’s multiple homosexual affairs were known at the time. It is hard to think of a leader, state or federal, who has not strayed from the marital bed. Joh Bjelke Petersen kept his girlfriend Beryl. Jack Lang had children by another woman, known to the neighbourhood. Yet no one seems to mind much. It seems to be regarded by many Australians as part of the package of energetic leadership. And by many Americans too, whose Presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush senior, Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, Dwight Eisenhower, FD Roosevelt, Warren Harding, Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Abraham Lincoln (who caught syphilis and gave it to his wife) and Thomas Jefferson (who sired several bastard sons on his black slave) were known to be adulterers at the time, as was the wise hero and founding father Benjamin Franklin. And many English too, who fondly forgave the “Welsh Ram” David Lloyd George, the bisexual Hugh Gaitskell, the cuckolded bisexual Harold Macmillan (whose wife bore, it is said, Lord Boothby’s child), the quietly promiscuous Harold Wilson, the blatantly homos-xual Ted Heath, the genial John Major who had an affair with fellow minister Edwina Curry, the haughty Margaret Thatcher who displaced a previous Margaret Thatcher in her eventual husband’s bed. Queen Victoria’s favourite Prime Minister Lord Melbourne shared his wife with Lord Byron, Benjamin Disraeli his mistress with several flat-mates, and Henry VIII, of course, who gave syphilis to his six wives and beheaded two of them. And the French don’t mind it either, but that goes without saying. Yet The Daily Telegraph finds John Della Bosca’s affair with a young scriptwriter shocking, and a reason for the Governor to overturn the constitution and sack Nathan Rees as her predecessor did Jack Lang. Della took a holiday from his famously stroppy wife and then went back to her. Shocking. Can it be The Daily Telegraph has a double standard? Or a boss who is frantic to bring down Nathan Rees, as he did Gough Whitlam with a constitutional coup d’etat? Or is it just a coincidence that splenetic puritans cluster in that newspaper and nowhere else? What is really distressing is how the Australian public has copped all this. They don’t themselves feel affronted by what Della did. Yet they don’t mind seeing him ruined by a targeted campaign from whoever it is who wants Labor out in New South Wales bloody soon and don’t care how they achieve this unconstitutional goal. How pathetic we have all become, putty it would seem. What a sorrow and a pity. What a shame. |
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39 Comments
What a headline!
JC
errr,
the man has promoted his family values
the man has promoted his church going
the man used his position for personal gratification (on the couch)
that is why he deserves what has unfolded…
Wow, I never knew so many of history’s “great men” were such arseholes.
That’s a really intelligent article. While I find Della Bosca (and his wife, judging by the Iguana Gate reports) to be repellent, I think you have a point. The public love a scandal, and are perfectly happy to burn public figures at the stake whilst indirectly accepting their morally questionable acts.
That said, I come from Sydney and am well aware of the general ill-feeling towards the Labour party. They’re not popular, and I think you’re right in saying that people are jumping onto any excuse to see them out of power.
I take this back, he did not profess family values - my mistake
It’s one thing to argue against double standards, but quite another to say adultery ‘seems to be regarded by many Australians as part of the package of energetic leadership’. Dream on.
I agree that simple ‘adultery’ is no grounds for the resignation of a Minister however when it follows seven speeding fines (and loss of licence) and Iguana-gate, coupled with the fact that Della Bosca used his family values as a defence, well, step down he should.
On the topic of the tenability of the NSW Government, the view that this farce of a Government should be dissolved is a widely-held view that entrenched itself long before the latest Della Bosca affair.
Read the front page of the Herald today and you will see that it too is contemplating “how we can get rid of thsi mob”, a direct response to popular opinion. It’s not just the Telegraph.
There precious few Ministers left and the new team that will again be foisted upon us by the back room Labor power brokers is not even close to the team that was presented to the NSW public at the last election.
Nope, couldn’t find it Bob.
Much like last week’s Ted Kennedy eulogy.
Help me out would you.
Wow, I never knew so many of history’s “great men” were such arseholes.
That was my impression too. However, just because Bob Ellis lists them doesn’t automatically mean they strayed from marriage. For example, Abraham Lincoln did catch syphillis in the mid 1830s; however linking this infidelity is a stretch, considering he didn’t get around to marrying Mary Todd until 1842.
A small but possibly significant correction - Jefferson was not an adulterer but began a relationship with a not so black member of his household long after his wife had died. The woman Sally Hemings, with whom he had several children (who he freed) was a slave, and also his late wife’s half-sister. It seems he was monogamous in this relationship.
Ellis’ characterisation of this possibly devoted and life long union seems coarse in the extreme.
VG
Bob’s definitely got a point, trivial shock,
horror, disgust seems to be a society wide
recreation. God help us if we are actually
asked to confront something serious.
Great headline!
I couldn’t care less who the pollies screw in private - that’s business for them and their families.
I’d prefer to know who they’re screwing in public - through shady deals, incompetence and/or corruption.
I’m still staggered that there were no ministerial sackings over AWB (hello - $300m bribes to our ‘enemy’ - WTF!?!). Isn’t that a far greater crime against the electorate than adultery?
Can a publication take out a ..is patent the word? on a headline? Whoever came out with that magnificent effort deserves a pay rise.
I’ll bet JWH was never propositioned by anyone, man woman or dog.
EXACTLY PWNEROUS -
AWB ????
- WHY AREN’T WE ALL SCREAMING ABOUT THIS OBVIOUS TO ME LACK OF JUSTICE??
JC
now that della bosca has finally gone it’s time for the likes of les patterson to assume the honourable position and show the rest of these boofheads just how it ought to be done.
“…I’ll bet JWH was never propositioned by anyone, man woman or dog…”
I detect a certain empathy there.
whoever it is who wants Labor out in New South Wales bloody soon
I think I can shed some light on the identity of the mysterious “whoever”: right now, just about everybody.
Bob seems to have missed the point here. Della had resigned before the public even knew anything about it. Della chose to resign rather than continue. It was HIS decision, not the public’s or the media’s. And many of his comments would be libelous if they weren’t about dead people.
For God’s sake Bob, most of us don’t give a toss which Neil/Neal the silly bugger was porking -we just want to get rid of the whole vile incompetent verging on c……t lot of them - from Carr on this government has been worse than useless - and God forbid NSW under Fatty O’Barrel……let’s make sure there’s a Green balance of power in the upper house
Maybe politicians should be sacked for not being adulterous? That would have them lining up boasting about their infidelities, which might be good for a change.
Did he make any speeches about family values etc, or make attacks on others for their lack of morality? Usually this is a strong indication of something wrong…
Tricky one, this. I agree it ought to be no-one’s business who he sh*gs, but on the other hand, if he’s lying to his wife (presumably she didn’t know about it??), who’s to say he’s not lying to us as well?
Apart from which, as John Newton said they’re all useless, a plague on both their houses. I’m certainly part of the very large group (which as Sean Carmody said consists of “just about everybody” in NSW) wanting to be rid of the lot of them.
It’s time: for an early erection in NSW.
What is really distressing is how the Australian public has copped all this. They don’t themselves feel affronted by what Della did. Yet they don’t mind seeing him ruined by a targeted campaign from whoever it is who wants Labor out in New South Wales bloody soon and don’t care how they achieve this unconstitutional goal.
How pathetic we have all become, putty it would seem.
— -
Oh come on. Should we be marching in the streets? Adultery happens between people from all walks of life and most of us are far too smart/cynical to expect our politicians to be moral exemplars. We want good ministerial performance, not puritans.
(Am I alone in finding the term ‘family values’ pretty offensive? Whose family? Whose values? Is it a suggestion that someone’s ‘family values’ are better - however defined - than someone else’s? Of course we know it’s a term used by hypocrites to appeal to some imaginary mass of moralising voters, but I’d rather have a serial adulterer delivering good government than a moral exemplar delivering incompetence.)
“I’d rather have a serial adulterer delivering good government than a moral exemplar delivering incompetence”
Bonus - in NSW you get both!!
Oh ‘zing’. Nice one Kate
You’ve got it all wrong Bob. The public DOES give a toss about Della Bosca fornicating on the job it’s just that compared with all the other sewage pouring from parliaments a bonk on the side barely raises an eyebrow. We expected him to crawl off when pinged for serial speeding, after his foul-mouthed attack on the media and when he made another one of those ‘poor decisions’ on a night out in his electorate. We’ve expected dozens of MPs like Della to leave public office for drink-driving, biffing and going the grope as they represent democracy, Queen and country. But parties and parliaments will turn somersaults to avoid administering the most effective remedy for good governance – getting rid of yobbo’s like Della permanently. Meantime Bob, you and the politically biased News Limited continue to chase headlines as yes, a ‘highly distressed public’, continues to search for parties prepared to endorse candidates fit for public office.
Kate said: “if he’s lying to his wife (presumably she didn’t know about it??), who’s to say he’s not lying to us as well?”
He’s a politician, ergo he is an accomplished and practising liar. Every time he denied he was plotting to challenge Rees he lied through his teeth.
Mark said: “now that della bosca has finally gone it’s time for the likes of les patterson to assume the honourable position”
What a good idea! NSW question time would be mandatory viewing and no doubt Sir Les would demand that it be broadcast.
No sympathy for JDB, that would be misplaced.
Agree tabloid News Corp are grubs.
Agree private life is.
And contrary the woman legally has the right to tell whoever she likes and in this age of thinly veiled privacy and community media the story is only an email or twitter or youtube away from a mass audience.
So News Corp have decided to harvest the coverage and break the standards of their own profession under pressure from new media? Perhaps this might preface even more privacy law reform?
It’s a sort of transmogrified web porn concept visited back onto newsprint. And notice the Sydney Daily Telegraph was literally a cartoon book in the main opinion page today.
As for the Herald revealing her identity, it ran on the tv news (abc too) last night so not sure who outed her first.
BULLMORE’S GHOST:
Dear Kerry, (I see the spirit still moves you) Honestly, if everyone who lied to their partners was forced to confess, half the population would be heading up your way.
Bob Ellis: Shamefully specious mendacity.
Everyone else: It’s the people who vote for punk politicians who are to blame.
“As for the Herald revealing her identity, it ran on the tv news (abc too) last night so not sure who outed her first.”
I believe one report named JDB as the “outer”.
Nobody minded Nero fiddling, per se, it was when he chose to fiddle that was the problem.
Nero? Sounds like an ALP machine man.
I’m sure you’re thinking of Caligula, Mr Ghost.
its a really old propostion, but who amongst us
is without sin. Is there a subscriber out there who has
not ploughed her without a view to cropping.
With apologies to WS
James Luxton
thank you Bob for another great piece.
can we just let both of them go from parliament? i.e. neal and him?
and wasn’t there a quote by Jefferson or someone? along the lines of holding a public office, you lead a public life? terrible paraphrasing on my part but you get the jist of it….
also loved the syd herald today, you could see this shallow attempt by them and several labor figures to try and put a spin on the story. too little, too late
Perhaps the solution lies with a legal and public commitment from political parties to record full liability for candidates they endorse: ” If this candidate strays from accepted social values and the commitment of public office we will reimburse taxpayers the cost of their public service”. I bet homebirth midwives get a higher insurance rating than MPs.
I don’t care when politicians have affairs. I do care when they are incompetent. I think Bob’s slant that folks are just sitting back enjoying a scandal misses the heart of the matter: many of us are sitting back knowing the guy got what has been coming for a while.
That it was for *this* and not for *that*, meh.
‘ruined by a targeted campaign’?
he resigned before the article hit the streets
Well said Bob Ellis.
Incidentally, earlier in the week Crickey linked to an article on ‘The Punch’ about this, entitled: Della’s sex shame: NSW Labor is now Melrose Place
To test the double-standard issue, here’s what I posted (below). To date, my comment remains unpublished, which helps answer the broader question: does News Corp have a double standard.
The answer appears to be yes.
I would like a series of in-depth investigative exposes on the extramarital affairs and expenses rorts of News Corp management and staff.
If the Murdoch media published stuff like that, I might even start buying its lousy rags once again, although on second thoughts probably not.
Oh, and to all aging female News Corp journalists scratching their heads and wondering whether it was me they had that fling with at a party back in the 1980s, your secrets are safe with me and I threw away the negatives.
Not.
Bob
you missing a couple recent nsw right fraction leaders from state and federal