The Home Secretary is the Minister in charge of the Home Office of the United Kingdom one of the country's four Great Offices of State.)
Everyone wants to know how to define this thing called Charachter. It is not hard.Charachter is doing the right thing even when nobody is looking.
M.P. David Blunkett had been a rising star in the Labour administration for some years and after a succession of influential posts he was promoted to key Ministerial positions within government. Blunkett was quick to engage with the media and wasted no opportunity to promote government policy designed to build a better Britain. Blunkett saw “positive role models” as an essential component in raising responsible young adults and in his role as Education Secretary he unveiled plans to tackle boys’ underachievement in the classroom. Blunkett said that he was determined to stamp out the myth among boys that it was “cool” to fail at school.
He said,” The government is concerned that a macho, anti authoritarian culture among teenage boys is affecting their studies” He continued by adding that “better male role models were needed both in schools and society to counter this culture”. (1)
Again, in his role as Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Blunkett launched “National Childcare Week” where he was quick to champion the benefits of strong and influential characters to inspire the young. During this campaign he called for men to develop a greater role in childcare and to provide a positive role model for children. He said, “It is important for men to play a real part in raising children for the benefit of children, fathers and society as a whole” (2)
Yet within his term of office, David Blunkett, Minister of the Crown and holder of one of the highest offices in the land became embroiled in a sex scandal when he impregnated a married American journalist named Kimberley Quinn. Initially, Blunkett, attempted to present himself as a righteous man but against his ex-lovers wishes he tried to break up another's man family and destroyed the stability and security of two young children who would be torn apart by parental rights and biological claims of fatherhood.
Following the end of the affair Blunkett petitioned the Family Division of the High Court to grant him legal access after DNA tests proved that Blunkett was the father of Quinn’s eldest child, William. Although Kimberley Quinn’s behaviour was not flawless Blunkett’s behaviour in putting the heavily pregnant mother to be under so much stress in the glare of a full media circus was equally reprehensible. He was eventually forced out when he realised that the “Budd Inquiry” had uncovered e-mails and faxes that highlighted irregularities concerning expenses and allegations that he had used his position to fast track a visa application for his lover's former nanny.
Blunkett lost both his head and his heart and had acted like a man possessed. So what happened to this once highly respected politician with the strength of character that enabled him to overcome his disability of blindness and to get to the very top? Journalist Melanie Phillips had a clear view and she claimed that power had corrupted him. She said, "His capacity for self delusion led him to define irresponsibility as responsibility, abuse of public office as integrity and the destruction of a family as a noble and personal sacrifice" (3)
Although not in the public eye Kimberley Quinn fared little better by embarking upon an affair within months of her marriage and becoming pregnant by her lover. Then, quite viciously, she ruthlessly orchestrated the destruction of her child’s father amidst bitterness between the former lovers that was played out in the tabloid press.
With some irony the journalist Amanda Platell commented, “The only thing that unites them now, apart from a lifetime of miserable contact over their child, is each person’s belief in their own self righteousness.” (4) Indeed Platell only reserves her sympathy for the child innocently caught up in the maelstrom and thrust into the public spotlight “born into a lie and his life now defined by the sheer selfishness of his mother and her lover” (5)
After some attempts to try to justify himself as a man of integrity Blunkett accepted that he had to stand down. However to the surprise of many, including members of the Labour Party, his eventual resignation was accompanied by an astonishing declaration of support by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who told Blunkett, "You leave Government with your integrity intact" (6) This from a party leader who had promised voters that he intended to be "tough on sleaze and tough on the causes of sleaze” (7)
Again Amanda Platell seized on this declaration of support. She said “Welcome to the parallel moral universe of David Blunket, where having a three year affair with another’s man wife is not wrong, when fathering one, perhaps two, children with her behind his back is not wrong, where allowing his private office to fiddle a nanny’s visa is not wrong. For all the protestations he leaves with his integrity in shreds.” (8)
However to the amazement of many Blunkett was soon returned to the Cabinet as Minister in relation to pensions. Yet within five months of this new appointment he was again forced to resign after newspapers speculated on a relationship with an estate agent, Sally Anderson combined with other irregularities. These events quickly developed into a downward spiral and were seized upon by the publicist Max Clifford. "The People" newspaper reported that the former Home Secretary had made Ms Anderson pregnant, had abandoned her, and had then lied about it. (9) Blunkett also faced allegations that he had breached the Ministerial code of conduct by taking up a directorship with DNA Bioscience without consulting an independent parliamentary committee
Blunkett responded by saying that he could "smell and feel it was time to step away" and during a resignation speech he acknowledged that he had let himself down.” I am deeply sorry for the embarrassment that I have caused the Prime Minister" (10) Blunkett's downfall and humiliation was completed by a Channel Four (UK) comedy drama entitled "A Very Social Secretary" (11) that portrayed David Blunkett as an obsessive buffoon who had lost the confidence of the people whom he had been elected to serve. Even his closest allies now accept that Blunkett’s poor judgement and dishonourable behaviour has seen him banished to the political wilderness. David Blunkett later received damages from the "People" newspaper regarding his relationship with Ms Anderson and the inaccurate claim that he had made her pregnant. (12)
Quite worryingly the former Home Secretary then released his memoirs where he admitted to suffering from clinical depression as result of the mess he had got himself into. Disturbingly Blunkett questioned his own ability to conduct government business at a time he was dealing with critical National issues such as terrorism, crime and immigration. He said, “My whole world was collapsing around me. I was under the most horrendous pressure. I was barely sleeping at night and I was being asked to sign government warrants in the middle of the night.”(13)
Not only did this revelation provide clear evidence that David Blunkett was in no fit state to carry out his public duties it also calls into question Tony Blair’s judgement by allowing him to remain at the helm of one of the highest offices in the land.
References
1. Blunkett, D, quoted in 'Blunkett Tackles the Gender Divide'. BBC News (UK) online edition dated 20 August 2000.
2. Blunkett, D, quoted in a press release from the Department for Works and Pension media centre dated 6 June 2005.
3 Phillips, Melanie. 'Mr. Blunkett's Ignominious Exit'. The Daily Mail (UK) dated 17 December 2004.
4. Platell, Amanda. 'Downfall of a Minister: The End of the Affair: Retribution'. The Independent on Sunday dated 19 December 2004.
5. Platell, Amanda. ‘The Blunkett Affair: The Heart of the Matter - He Must Go'. The Independent on Sunday dated 5 December 2004.
6. BBC News and Politics, 'Blunkett’s and Blair’s Letters' from BBC News 24 online dated Thursday 16 December 2004.
Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4099917.stm
7. Blair, Anthony, Prime Minister (UK). Address to Labour Party Conference, October 1996. Re-quoted in the Daily Telegraph (UK), 3 November 2006.
8. Platell, Amanda, 'Downfall of a Minister', op cit.
9. The People (UK) Newspaper. 'Blunkett's Lover loses baby' dated 16 October 2005. (NB: successfully challenged in court).
10. BBC News (UK) Edition Politics. 'Blunkett Quits after 'Mistakes' dated 11 February 2005. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk politics/ 4398004.stm
11. A Very Social Secretary, More 4: (UKTV). 'How Blunkett Became a Metaphor for Tony Blair's Decadent Regime.' Aired on 10 October 2005.
Retrieved from http://www.channel4.eom/more4/drama/s/
socialsecretarv.html
12. BBC News (UK) Edition. 'Blunkett Wins Affair Claim Payout' dated 12 March 2006.
Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4798182.stm
13. Valley, J. Edinburgh Evening News, 'Affair Drove me to the Brink of Insanity Says Blunkett' dated Saturday 7 October 2006.
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