Does 'the top job' involve sacrifices?

I think he needed to be far more sensible....not so much put his friendships on hold but agree not to discuss anything of any importance.

I thought you were going to comment on George Entwistle leaving the beeb greatnan
The short answer is yes it jolly well does!

Perhaps when we first started texting we imagined that those texts were private and would never be in the public domain. maybe we will all revert to letters which can be used to light the fire after you've read them.

Those in public life do have to careful about their friendships - look what happened to John Profumo.

Head of the CIA resigned this week when the FBI found out he was having an affair. In certain jobs caesar has to be beyond suspicion. Our mayor for instance is living with the head of planning for the council. There came a point where they had to go public. And once she has finished being mayor and reverts to being a normal councillor, she will have to be very careful about the decisions she is involved in. That sort of thing is one of the downsides of public life and most people understand that there are boundaries that must be maintained.
So what is the right thing to do, when you become leader of a political party, let alone PM? Review your social life and ask yourself where are the potential pitfalls, conflicts of interest, places where you might be accused of being too matey. And say to those friends: - While i am in that job we will have to maintain a professional distance. Hope one day that we will be able to be close friends again.
The alternative plan is to review your list of "best friends who I went to school with" and give them jobs.

I see the supremo of the US armed forces has resigned because he had an affair. If everybody who had an affair had to resign..............I suppose it could have made him vulnerable to blackmail.

I thought it was Caesar's wife who had to be beyond suspicion, which always seemed a bit unfair to me.

Yes it was C's wife, but I changed it. Let's get the caesar bit first before we start worrying about spouses. (unless they are buying porn films on MP's expenses...)

But which wife?

Did Caesar have more than one wife jeni ?

Yes, but do you think Cameron was right to stay on such intimate terms with the editor of a national newspaper?

Yes. The first one Cornelia died in childbirth, the second poppeia I think he divorced because of some scandal ' Caesars wife must be beyond reproach'

Pompeia Sulla was the second.

Jeni - do you want to be in detention?

I thought everyone knew he had two wives. Shakespeare didn't check his history.

Not everyone had/remembers the content of "a classical education" jeni
We greatnan I think it is evident that I think he is a twit - as is shown by the fact the has appointed 18 other old Etonians to his cabinet, as you put on another thread. Timewarp man. (When was the last time we had that many old etonians in the cabinet. Anyone know?)
Brooks' husband was in school with Dave. So why would he not trust them and stay close buddies?

Because he is the prime minister and she was editor of a national newspaper! That is why I suggested that high office entails some sacrifice. There was at least the whiff of cronyism in her talk of 'looking forward to working together'. A prime minister should be on the same terms with all sections of the media.

Three wives. Calpurnia was No 3. What astonishes me is not that they all go slightly to very mad and reckless with being in the top job but that they don't know texts, emails etc are very public documents!

Of course, if you were that way inclined, you might think that both the emails quoted are open to other interpretations.........

Hey greatnan I didn't have a classical education. I had a scientific one. They made me take Latin and I scored 23% at O level. That's the sum of my classical education! Stop casting nasturtiums at me! I might take a fence! (Where to I wonder)

I think grammar school including Latin probably counts these days jeni.
Of course it used to mean A level Latin and Greek, followed I think by something called "Greats" in Oxbridge? (the really important subjects )
I remember Keith Joseph, when he was Thatcher's Sec of state for Education and Science saying that because he had a classical education he had no education at all in science. And he said it without shame.
(But us from S Wales knew he was not proper-posh cos his dad owned the funfair in Porthcawl)

Oh, so I can say I had a classical education can I? Even though I gave up Latin after Third Year?

Apparently Ana

Jeni - I am bemused - I haven't mentioned anything about your education, classical or otherwise. I was merely having a little banter about the way a very serious subject (to me) was being diverted in the well-known fashion. I do realise I will now be accused of having no sense of humour!

I may print myself a certificate to that effect - sure I can find something suitable on the webnet!

Sorry, Greatnan - that was in reply to jeni!