The workings of the power elite enable a far greater interchange between them in work and social occasions than might be assumed. Unlike the celebrity elite whose comings and goings are breathlessly reported in disposable magazines, they operate in secret. If it is the case that knowledge is power, then that enables them to make their plans unchecked, and work across separate organisations. In contrast, it is the lot of lesser mortals to be chained to their working life, be it office worker or commercial salesman out on the road or factory worker. They assume that their freedom is greater than it actually is, which is a step up from the freedom to be out of work and on the margins of society. The cult of the business meeting, the working lunch and the seminar meant that the uncomplaining drudges in life who hold up institutions on their overworked shoulders, carry on much as before while decisions that may affect their lives are made with a certain assured arrogance and remoteness of power. They operate in an insulated bubble from which nothing can disturb them, except rebellious high court judges and bloody-minded surgeons with ideas that are twenty years behind the times.
It should be no great surprise when Michael Beauchamp chose to frequent his favourite restaurant that he spied his old friend, Neil Haughton.
"Neil. What luck bumping into you in this neck of the woods." Exclaimed Michael.
"I come here now and again to see what turns up. Let's grab a table together"
Neil operated from the certainty where even a social equal would not presume to have any alternative plans. As Michael was on his own, it suited both their purposes and they made their lordly way to a comfortable corner, well suited for confidential discussions. By contrast, the normal prosperous married couple would have taken any table that was center stage and not even think of eavesdroppers.
"So how is married life suiting you with the glamorous Connie? I haven't seen her for months." Neil enquired, discreetly sipping at his glass of mineral water and carefully arranging his napkin.
"We both never stop working, carving out our individual career paths in life, Neil"
"That sounds familiar. I hardly have a private life that I can definitely call my own. There is always the possibility of a late night call, some minor crisis that I have to deal with."
"There are compensations, Neil. Don't you find that somehow the burdens of life at the top with life and death decisions give you that adrenaline drive to succeed, Connie in the operating theatre and me in the boardroom. Neither of us knows the meaning of slowing down in life. That's for those who are worn out, past it or just plain inadequate." Michael pronounced smugly and enthusiastically. Then again, Michael had always been a lucky man.
"Not that we are appreciated for all the hard work we pack in"
"You're right there, Neil. Whatever grand plans that we come up with, we always get the moaners, the negative critics. It is left to us to see things through, the leaders, those with vision, who have the sight of the bigger picture. You might talk till you're blue in the face that, in the long run, that vision will pay handsomely but all these whingers can do is to blether on about the fine details. You know the sort of thing where a few individuals are pushed out of their tidy little corner in life. They never see that, in a few years time, they'll be thanking us for taking all the trouble, all the flack in the press, so long as the long perspective is taken care of. All I can say is that the hard work we do is worth every penny that we're paid."
Neither men knew that their pious words were only their reduction of Rudyard Kipling's poetical "The White Man's Burden" to the level of a party political broadcast on behalf of the Me First Party.
"It sounds as if you have the ideal partnership." Neil continued after a pause in the conversation.
"It doesn't mean that we don't have a little entertainment in our lives. After all, we've worked hard enough to get where we are, " came the reply with a confidential leer.
Neil was intrigued.
"Tell me more, Michael"
"Connie and I have always had what I would call an 'open relationship.' After all, you have seen her and know how attractive she is. We have this unspoken agreement that if in my travels, I spy some attractive piece of skirt in a hotel bar who is in need of my debonair charm, then it's only fair that she enjoys the same rights. We don't ask questions of each other, but we're there for each other's careers"
"So you enjoy all the benefits of playing away from home without being greeted by a shower of broken china"
"Exactly so," pronounced Michael
"So how's your love life"
"Well, you know how it goes. I'm taking it easy and playing the field. I certainly don't want to go plunging into some kind of demanding relationship." Houghton declared scornfully.
"So you're the eligible bachelor right now"
"Something like that."
There was another thoughtful pause. They were both tiptoeing round the fact that Michael had the big advantage over Neil in having a partner on very attractive terms while Neil didn't. His dedication to government business in hand carried an undertone of desperation, not dedication.
"Do you miss not having George around anymore. I always thought that the pair of you were well suited, that you made a good team. For instance, her legal talents can't be sneezed at in terms of government business."
"She was a tremendous asset to our partnership," came Houghton's instant response. "Of course, you know that the government has to be seen to comply with all the legal rigmarole, which I confess that I have trouble in getting my head round. I feel sometimes that the way forward is clear but I'm being pulled back by all this red tape. George had that talent to negotiate our way through these perils. All the members of the cabinet have said to me on more than one occasion how much they admired her. She was invaluable in that one essential area of work……..She was good in bed as well, I can tell you"
Michael remembered the ultra confident glamorous blonde and nodded in agreement with the lopsided grin that briefly twisted Neil's features.
"Of course, working for the government has that drawback. I can't ever say that when I was in advertising I anticipated that this would be a problem. I thought that, if I became a member of the cabinet, I would have more power, not less"
"You have my sympathy, Neil"
"Do you have this sort of problem, Michael"
"God no." Michael Houghton's level droning voice responded. "You do have to watch out for health and safety law and those ambulance chasers threatening us with compensation claims. Regrettably, in this modern enterprise age, it is a growth area."
"Coming back to George. Of course I do miss her charm, her unique ability to handle a social occasion. You must admit that it does tend to centre on couples and sometimes, I feel as if I am the odd one out. The PM does expect the family image of his ministers. It makes for the occasional bit of good publicity, you know"
"I have seen her. She does have that certain quality, a bit like Connie"
"Of course." Houghton replied a little stiffly.
"Would you have her back if she asked"
"I might." Houghton replied at last in deliberate tones after a long pause. "If I think of it, there are certain advantages. I mean I'm not the one to maintain grudges however much might have come between us. It's just that her presence round the house was so familiar. When she was around, I felt that I knew where I stood. I'd have to think carefully," he added hastily. "It's not as if she went out to buy a packet of cigarettes and forgot to come back for months and then let herself back with her front door key. A man has his pride, you know"
"Sure."
"It just depends, Michael. Of course, we would have to do a lot of talking over to set the record straight"
"Is she seeing anyone else, Neil"
"Not to my knowledge." Came the straight-faced answer from Houghton. "If she was, that would be something we might have to talk over"
After that line of conversation petered out, the silence this time was brooding and longer than before.
"Anyway, back to what we were talking about before. Is there any inside information on the stock exchange that you might want to tip me off in advance"
"Not at present but if I come across anything, you'll be the first to know," Neil's teeth flashed in reply, feeling that he was on much more solid ground.
"So how's life going on in the corridors of power, Neil"
"Surprisingly enough, nothing much except the irritating outcome of a prison inspection. It was one of our crumbling Victorian piles that's as behind the times as you can get"
"Does it have any onsite healthcare?" Michael enquired as he applied his specialty to every corner of life. You never know, there might be scope for a bit of empire building.
"From what I've seen in the report, they dabble in it. There's only a small unit, nothing like these huge modern complexes that you are building these days. Regrettably while these prisons exist, the healthcare has to be kept on site. You can't have any dangerous criminals escaping"
"Just as well." Michael responded in bored tones. It wasn't worth bothering about by the sound of it. "Perhaps they ought to muddle along on their own. It's not as if prisoners deserve the same rights as the general population"
"Hear, hear." Neil echoes from their shared sense of superiority over the general population.