ВУЗ:
Составители:
Рубрика:
34
John Major
‘The event in my life of which I am most ashamed’
In September 2002, the 'Times' newspaper disclosed that Former
Prime Minister John Major had had a four-year affair with Conservative cabinet
minister Edwina Currie. The affair was ended by Currie in 1988, when Major was
promoted to Secretary of the Treasury. Two years later, Mr Major became Prime
Minister. Mrs Currie's diaries revealed a nearly 20-year-old secret that shocked
the British public. According to the report, the friendship between the two
continued after the affair had finished and that Mrs Currie's love for him persisted,
'dominating her life'.
The news came as a big shock to the British public. Mr Major's traditional
view of morality and Victorian values was seen as a clear sign of hypocrisy - you
cannot tell us how to lead our lives while doing the opposite yourself. Major told
the press that his wife Norma had known about the affair for some time and had
accepted it. Of course, if the British public had known about the affair, Mr Major
would never have become Prime Minister in the first place.
Mrs Currie, who revealed the events in her diaries, said that she did not
want to take revenge by revealing the secret but that 'a lot of time had passed
now'. She added that she was very hurt by Mr Major's comments that the affair
was only a cause of embarrassment for him. Mr Major called the affair 'the event
in my life of which I am most ashamed' and refused to give Mrs Currie any
mention in his autobiography.
Bill Сlinton
It is one of the most celebrated cases in political history. In November
1995, a young graduate, Monica Lewinsky, joined the White House staff as an
unpaid intern. After a few days, she began an affair with President Clinton. The
affair continued, sporadically, for the next 18 months. Lewinsky left the White
House to join the Pentagon in 1996. In May 1997, Clinton told Ms Lewinksy that
the affair was at an end. In the same month, Clinton was accused of sexually
harassing Paula Jones, another government worker. The Supreme Court rejected
Mr Clinton's claim that as President he should have immunity from civil cases.
Clinton and Lewinsky broke all contact at the start of 1998. In January,
Clinton denied, under oath, that he had an affair with Ms Lewinsky. Six months
later, he acknowledged 'inappropriate intimate contact' with Ms Lewinsky. In spite
of this, polls showed that only one in ten Americans sympathised with Ms
Lewinsky; Clinton got 67% of popular support. More evidence, including taped
telephone conversations between the couple, was released. By the end of 1998,
Clinton was accused of lying to a grand jury. Clinton declared himself ‘profoundly
sorry'. In February 1999, he was finally cleared of all charges by US Congress.
The 3-year nightmare was over for Clinton. His wife, Hilary, has forgiven his
infidelity. In fact, critics say that the Lewinsky case has done no harm to Clinton's
reputation, on the contrary some believe that if he hadn't had the affair, he would
not be remembered now as such a popular leader.
(www.webframework.net)
Страницы
- « первая
- ‹ предыдущая
- …
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- …
- следующая ›
- последняя »
