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The spin doctors attempting to minimise the political fallout from US Pres. Bill Clinton's sexual relationship with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky face a daunting task since the president lied to his country for seven months. Eight months of being questioned about the Lewinsky affair proved too much for the chief White House spin doctor, Mike McCurry. His successor, Joe Lockhart, took over on the very day in Oct. 1998 when the House of Representatives started debating whether to hold hearings on impeaching the president.

Political consultant Philip Gould acts as a planner and pollster for the UK Labour Party in addition to providing companies and the Government with 'strategic re-search.' Gould helped run Labour's successful 1997 general election campaign after having acted as an adviser to the Democrats during Bill Clinton's successful 1992 US presidential election campaign. Gould, who has a background in advertising, acts as a kind of liaison officer between Labour and the US, the PR industry and 'the people' respectively. He is married to Gail Rebuck, the millionairess who runs publishing house Random House.

The role of the spin doctor will assume even greater importance following UK Prime Minister John Major's expected announcement on Mar. 17, 1997, that the general election will be held on May 1, 1997. The Labour Party boasts a highly professional press operation and can call on the services of more than 100 eager young staff who work around the clock at its Millbank media centre. Charles Lewington, head of communications at Conservative headquarters, deals openly with journalists prepared to give the right spin to the stories he offers them while most senior ministers have their own political advisor.

The number of political special advisers, who contribute to policy discussions with political presentations but have civil servant status, will be reduced under a memorandum from the Prime Minister to save about 100,000 pomds sterling a year. They comprise five experts and 21 political advisors, many in their twenties. The research department of the Conservative Central Office provides suitable candidates, who may go on to become parliamentary candidates. The work includes ghost-writing articles for ministers and talking to political journalists.