"It is possible that he [Cameron] really doesn't get it, that he doesn't understand that one measure of an advanced political system is appreciating that the appearance of a conflict of interest is as damaging as an actual conflict: both real and perceived conflicts undermine trust in the same way. Instead, he seems to take the more atavistic view that when Rebekah Brooks says they are "in this together", what she means is that they have some social mind-meld bond. This isn't quid pro quo; it's a shared identity, a deeper understanding, a mutual respect.
Of course, the best kind of quid pro quo is one in which there is no need for a quid pro quo. That's the way the mafia or the Russian oligarchs do it."
www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/ju...y-friends-neighbours