The first point to consider is that corruption might generate a ‘scandal’ but a ‘scandal’ is not necessarily the result of corrupt actions. Sex related scandals really call for a bit of critical assessment.
The criteria for a broadly sex related scandal depend largely on the social taboos of any given time and place. Taboos, generally aren’t laws, but regulate our sexual conduct, race relations, political institutions, and economic mechanisms just the same.
Even so, there is wide latitude in who can and cannot successfully break these unwritten codes of behaviour.
When taboos are brought into play in the powerful political and corporate world, where the players have a good measure of insulation, they are invariably initiated with specific ulterior motives.
Chief among the underlying motives are diversion and power plays. There is nothing so effective as a trivial, titillating scandal to take peoples minds of unsavoury issues like economics or war.
Power plays can include diversion or operate as stand alone tactics. Few of us are squeaky clean, so there is often a handy store of potential ammunition to use against political and business foes. And don’t think those foes are always in the other camp, the Brogden issue is very much about leadership of the NSW Liberal Party, and has tentacles reaching through to Prime Minister John Howard.
On the retirement of long time NSW Labor Premier, Bob Carr, John Brogden was poised to take his party to government in the next general election. All he needed to do was stay on track, keep his nose clean be seen as a leader. The prospect was obviously too much for him. At an informal celebration of his good fortune Brogden hit the booze and showed his ‘bad boy’ side. His crime? He pinched a journalist’s bum (well at least she was a she), propositioned another and referred to the outgoing premier’s wife as a ‘mail order bride’. Pretty dumb for a future government leader, but hardly a hanging offence.
Still, it was enough for his internal party enemies to take and build into a riveting, headline, career smashing issue.
The question, after the fact, is how long would Brogden lasted at the head of his party anyway? It seems Brogden’s attempt on his own life was spurred by the pending release of further revelations of his ‘sordid past’. His enemies had enough in the bank to do a number on Brogden without his attack of ‘foot in mouth’.
Factions of the NSW Liberal party, rather than be content with the prospect of winning government, is determined to battle it out, further fracturing a splintered party. The prime minister wants his team at the head of the party; the religious right wants their man. They will no doubt all stay in opposition for a few elections yet.
Brogden’s actions were stupid and immature, certainly not the actions of a leader. Even so, they hardly warrant suicide. He is still relatively young and memories are short. There was every chance for the man to come back, as a seasoned warrior, to lead the party at a later date.
It has happened that way for others. Former Victorian (
His verbal antics are well demonstrated on the infamous Kennett-Peacock car phone tapes http://www.australianpolitics.com/states/vic/87-03-23_car-phone.shtml He was robust, forthright and not beyond the odd salacious comment. Like many of the political survivors in this life Jeff Kennett simply let charges of scandal pass him by and focused on his own objectives.
Brogden’s scandal is not about corruption, it is about stupidity. In their own way his fellow party members are demonstrating that it is an infectious stupidity. That their lust for power is so strong that it can drive a man to suicide is still not criminal corruption, but it stinks!
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