Pressures of a career in politics

SCOTTISH Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen has opened a door on the enormous pressure a high-level political career places on family and private life. Despite the rather poor public perception of politicians, fuelled by innumerable instances of sleaze, corruption and the apparent unashamed desire to line their pockets at public expense, there is no doubt that it is a job which carries enormous responsibility.

They live their lives in the public eye, cannot drop their guard for a moment and have to be prepared to shelve family commitments, and even holidays, in the event of a political crisis. When the balance of power is as narrow as it is currently in Scotland, even fairly innocuous problems can escalate into full-blown crises if just one MSP is absent when a vote is taken.

It is all too easy to forget, at times, that MPs and MSPs have families who are not, in the main, paid for out of the public purse and who have to make huge sacrifices. Some, and Cherie Blair is a prime example, revel in the profile and trappings such fame by association can bring, eventually becoming celebrities in their own right despite no one having voted for them.

Others, such as Nicol Stephen’s wife, Caris, prefer to remain in the background, and it is these who suffer most. When a politician finds himself or herself under the kind of pressure Nicol Stephen has experienced over his poor handling of the Trump affair and his role in the Aberdeen bypass controversy, the fallout envelopes the entire family.

While the full reasons for his dramatic resignation are known only to his inner circle, it is quite clear that he could see the day dawning when he might have to choose between his job and his marriage. He should be applauded for quitting before that day arrived.