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I despise Big Brother. The sight of individuals pandering to the public in the hope of finding or re-establishing fame turns my stomach. Following Channel 4 having cancelled this abomination last year, I believed that I would never be subjected to such sights again – I was wrong! Channel 5 has recently resurrected the show and whilst I can avoid their nightly broadcasts, I cannot open a newspaper or log onto the internet without being bombarded with the latest goings on in the house. Extremely frustrating when you have no interest in the actions of failed pop stars, surgically enhanced photographers or those sheep that X Factor executives cloned a few years ago in the hope of peddling their wares to infants nationwide.

Stories concerning one of these so called ‘celebrities’ have caught my eye, however, and have also raised some interesting questions concerning the role that political opinion plays in relationships, marriages, separations and, indeed, divorce.

Sally Bercow – the wife of John Bercow, speaker of the House of Commons – entered the house last week and despite the fact that I find her no more interesting than the other vapid individuals now inhabiting this property, it is interesting that her and her husband’s political leanings could not, on the face of things, be more opposed. Mr Bercow served as a Conservative MP prior to him having ascended to the position of speaker, whilst Mrs Bercow not only actively campaigned for Tony Blair during the early days of New Labour but also previously stood as a Labour candidate. This would suggest that a relationship can not only survive but actually prosper in spite of a distinct divide in political and administrative opinion. But is this really the case?

The majority of people subscribe solely to very mild, wavering political opinion and would not consider their partner’s political persuasions to be terribly important as a result. To some, though, their political opinions and outlook are intrinsically linked to how they perceive and evaluate themselves. Individuals such as this will almost certainly seek a partner with similar views – and I think it’s safe to say that Mr and Mrs Bercow fall into this category. Again, this would suggest that differences of opinions regarding such matters will not bring about a divorce, but there are other factors which really need to be considered before we can draw such a conclusion.

Whilst serving as a Conservative MP, Mr Bercow was a member of the party’s now infamous Monday Club – a group widely described as belonging to the far-right by many journalists and social commentators. Following his marriage to Sally, however, he began to add his support to far more liberal political ethos, defying the then Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith by voting for unmarried homosexual and heterosexual couples to be allowed to adopt children and later defied another Conservative leader, Michael Howard, expressing liberal/leftist views when discussing controversial issues such as taxes, immigration and the Iraq war. All of which suggest that having a wife who prescribed to more leftist ideology influenced Mr Bercow’s own political outlook.

Alternatively, perhaps Mr Bercow made a conscious effort to change in order to maintain a happy marriage and prevent divorce. Either way the ideological changes that have been exhibited by Mr Bercow are vast.

From a personal perspective, whilst I believe that sharing similar values with your spouse is important, differences in opinion need not result in divorce or separation, rather, differences in opinion and debate can contribute to a happy, healthy relationship provided each spouse is able to respect the other’s viewpoints. Opposites can attract after all. Provided a couple are not completely polarised politically, that is. Whilst respect and compromise can go a long way towards alleviating the potential damage that political divide can cause, however, there is no doubt that is more than capable of ending marriages.

Opinions change over time and, as a result, once happy couples can find that they are now incompatible. This is a shame, but if differences of opinion lead to a couple being unhappy in their marriage, then divorce really is the best option.