Side Thoughts

The scandal, spurred by the actions of former NSW Opposition Leader, John Brogden, took on a life far beyond the original deeds this week. From bad taste the events turned to near tragedy for Brogden and a revelation of the lengths politicians and media will go to achieve their ends.
There have been, on the other side of the coins, some valuable insights into dealing with accusations, attacks and perhaps even real potential scandal.
The ‘grand old war horse’ of Australian political journalism pulled no punches: “…Brogden, a young man with everything to fight for, couldn't find the courage to fight for his leadership. Instead, overwhelmed with shame and self-pity, he quit. He'd shown himself up as a fool. The Liberals, you'd have to say, are well shot of his ‘leadership’"
Ramsey was not being cruel and heartless; the long time political watcher was simply telling it like it is.
Author and commentator David Marr writes:

“Dragging down your own party leader is a messy business. Backroom plotters know that what incompetence and unpopularity can't on their own achieve, scandal can. Destabilising party opponents by spreading dirt is a very old tactic practiced, at one time or another, by every political faction on earth. But in Australia over the past few decades, it's been the tactic of choice of conservative factions within conservative parties.”

According to Marr, who has written on scandal, including the attempt to falsely blacken the name of an Australian High Court judge; “…There are rules to this ugly game.”

“First, these tactics work best in parties that insist on their devotion to family values. Those who claim the respectable high ground make themselves much more vulnerable to accusations about sex and booze - the sort of stories that show they're human just like the rest of us. The most feared of the moral warriors within the [Australian} Liberal Party are the hardline self-righteous who, despite their professed knowledge of the Bible, forget the lesson of Galatians chapter 6, verse 7 above.

“Second, these tactics don't work unless the leader is already on the slide. Dishing dirt about the private life of a leader riding high in the polls is dangerous. The party stands to suffer far too much collateral damage. The plotters risk their own careers. The press isn't nearly as interested. The scandal card is usually played to hasten the end that's already in sight.
“The crucial third rule is that everything depends on persuading someone in the media - usually a columnist - to take the story seriously, to turn party scuttlebutt into public scandal. This is the point at which the media's responsibility is absolute: to judge - regardless of messenger, motive and surrounding political events - whether there really is a story and whether it justifies turning a spotlight on the private life of a political figure.”

Marr points out that Australians tend to do things a little differently. The UK media, for example, will print any piece of spicy gossip. “In America, questions of "character" - code for Christian virtue - is the media's excuse for prying deeply into politicians' lives."
In Australia, there is a healthy skepticism and distrust of private revelations which lack any real public interest. “…that rationale for scandal mongering doesn't really wash with the Australian public.” Marr adds.
One of the side issues, arising from this affair, is the spread, internationally, of religious based fanatical politics. It is not exactly corruption, although there seems to be a tendency to ignore convention and law if it serves their ends. I expect I will be setting out my thoughts and research in a separate blog, dedicated to dumping on the religious right.