Why do men go into politics? The answer for the majority is power. They cannot earn as much as in the private sector; they have to make personal sacrifices; they work horrendous hours; they spend long periods away from home; they subject themselves to incredibly stressful lives; all for power. It is not for most men, most men do not have the drive and are unwilling to make the sacrifices necessary to attain power but for those who do it is intoxicating. It harks back to our primal beginings and one of the things that inevitably accompanies power is women.

That is not to say that these men necessarily have sex with all the women that they acquire, although it is not hard to believe that it is a fringe benefit that many avail themselves of. The power component of having these women comes from possessing their commitment, possessing their loyalty, as much as is possible these days, possessing them.

I am sure that there are a number of feminists in the readership who are repulsed by the whole concept but it is as old as the human race and it appeals to men at a primal level.

The Green Man was watched "Love Actually" on the weekend which was a passable enough DVD to fill in a cold, wet Saturday evening with the family. Interestingly, in spite of the fact that the film was aimed clearly at the female demographic, it provided an excellent demonstration of this very phenonemon. (Which is what got The Green Man thinking about it.) The Hugh Grant character is the, just appointed, Prime Minister of England. He receives a visit from the President of America. He is taking a very non-confrontionalist approach to the contact. When considering relatively abstract issues such as defence policy and trade relations he was bowing to the American's will.

Later, he enters a room to find the US President inappropriately close to one of his aides and whispering in her ear. The US President has violated the PMs power by approaching one of his women. The PMs response is one that is as old as history. She gets dumped and is only reinstated when she redeclares her allegiance. Further, at a press conference, the PM lays into the American President. He could not tolerate such a concrete violation of his power.

This is just fiction of course but it is so credible because it so accurately depicts, in a modern context, our ancestor's primal experience. It rings true because the Prime Minister displays a set of behaviours that are characteristic of the powerful males of many species, including our own.