A Very British Sex Scandal

Anniebach

May i ask ? did you have concerns for your lovers wife?

Yes, I was young and must’ve and both of felt guilty. The reason I left my job immediately was so his wife never found out. At the time I felt I was also an “innocent” party but of course in retrospect I was not. I did not know I was pregnant initially, I always had very irregular periods and weight always up and down. I found out at the end of July, left my job mid August and gave birth beginning of December.

Anniebach good question - I’ll give you the answer, they never do …

Watching the programme I was struck how febrile is the world of politics. It portrayed a tawdry Greek tragedy caused by hubris, a vengeful Fury and a Chorus of sniggering people gleefully outlining the principal players' misfortunes.

Neither Parkinson's nor Keays emerged with much credit, but it was Keays who had to shoulder the burden, and the former's attitude over Flora's maintenance was shameful. The Solicitor-General was right to ban Keays from talking in public about her daughter because it would damage the child, and the woman on Question Time was breaking the law, as she well knew. Equally, both parties should have avoided public appearances on television and in the Press.

Cecil Parkinson is dead. I hope his wife, and Sarah Keays, have found some peace.
Flora was the victim.

May i ask ? did you have concerns for your lovers wife?

My first child, born in 1985, when I was single, had a father who both worked with me (above) me and was married. I worked for a company in London who had their HQ abroad and a number of newly married young men worked away in London Mon-Fri.

I’m not in any way proud of my behaviour. Both of us were in our mid 20’s, started just as friends, and when I realised I was pregnant I immediately left my employment, living on next to nothing until my son was a few months old, when I got a new job in London, where no one knew my past or my baby’s father.

He paid maintenance and helped with other costs until I got married when my son was 9.

As far as I know his wife and other children never found out.

I’ve been married now for over 27 years and we have other children, now grown up. Everyone involved knows the full story and have accepted that humans make mistakes.

Well CP wasn’t the first unfaithful partner and he won’t be the last.
I know of some cases where a man will think it quite normal to have both a wife and a very longstanding mistress. I don’t think it’s remotely acceptable but it happens. I don’t think we have a societal mindset where welfare of children overrides individual passions of the parents ….

I know she was his secretary and MP’s lead ‘away from home’ lives…but even so.

Talk about having his cake and eating it.

He came across as very smarmy.

Sarah Keays was his private secretary

I imagine a politicians life is excellent cover for an affair. Late night sittings, travel, etc.

I finished watching this last night.

I just marvelled how times have changed in so many ways.

How dated it all looked, the cars, fashions, attitudes.

He had been having this affair for 12 years! How did he get away with it, did his wife not suspect?

Elrel

I thought I knew all about the story but was wrong. I had no idea of the strength and dignity of Sara Keays after her lover decided to never see their child and then legally prevented Sara from revealing anything about her, and Flora’s, situation.

In the programme Cecil Parkinson denied he was responsible for the gagging order. It seems that's true. Sara Keays initially thought it would benefit Flora, when she found it proved impossible to change it. Whether CP influenced the courts is purely speculative.

I thought I knew all about the story but was wrong. I had no idea of the strength and dignity of Sara Keays after her lover decided to never see their child and then legally prevented Sara from revealing anything about her, and Flora’s, situation.

Bumping still

What a slimy toad of a man punishing his child, her differently from his others, it must have been a marriage of convenience, no one would take a man back after 12 years of cheating and neglecting to maintain his child. If he were my husband I wouldn’t touch him with a barge pole.

My sympathies are entirely with the children involved. The adults get what they deserve. Well, not in Parkinson’s case of course that b……d got away with abhorrent behaviour.

ronib

*OldFrill*do I need to watch the programme? I know the story as it’s been told many times! Or has it changed in the retelling?

There may be a different perspective. I don't know the perspective of the story you know.

I remember having very little sympathy for Sarah Keays at the time. All of it was reserved for Cecil Parkinson’s wife, probably influenced by the old saying, ‘It takes two to tango.’

I’m sure I would feel differently today, particularly as the gagging order just wouldn’t work. The woman in the Question Time audience who was shut down for her strong principles showed CP for who he was - an arrogant, self serving misogynist.

OldFrilldo I need to watch the programme? I know the story as it’s been told many times! Or has it changed in the retelling?

Sarah Keays had no problem with hurting the children in the marriage , a 12 year affair, I feel for the children from the marriage and affair

I am not judging the affair I am judging a man who had no contact with his child. She had learning disabilities and complex health issues, the 'mistress' spent her life caring for her.

There was a thread about a year ago asking if anyone on Gransnet had had an affair with a married man. Some brave souls answered, and the general consensus seemed to be that it was very wrong of a woman to engage in one if there were children involved. (The same comment was directed at men.) But all the condemnation here is directed at Parkinson, who I remember told Sarah's father he wanted to marry her, and her father agreed
I remember the scandal and I was not impressed by the mistress or Parkinson at the time, all my sympathy going to his wife, but I haven't watched the programme yet, so I will reserve judgement.

I watched it until little Flora had her operation and got so sad I had to turn it off. I was telling MrR about it and that made cry all over again.
What an awful man he was ...... refusing to ever see the baby and treating Sarah so badly.
I don't know how his poor wife ever forgave him

ronib

Well I am knee deep in grandchildren and I don’t think the family tragedy which hit all members of the Parkinson family is my business to judge. I feel sorry for Mary Parkinson who committed suicide two years after Cecil, her father died however. It must have been a difficult balancing act all in all for those involved .

Did you watch it?

Well I am knee deep in grandchildren and I don’t think the family tragedy which hit all members of the Parkinson family is my business to judge. I feel sorry for Mary Parkinson who committed suicide two years after Cecil, her father died however. It must have been a difficult balancing act all in all for those involved .

Grandma70s

I remember the Cecil Parkinson business, but didn’t take much notice at the time because I was knee deep in young children. I thought they must be old films of Edwina Currie, but they weren’t, were they? Amazing. She doesn’t seem to have aged at all.

She had a face lift in her 50s.