Be as rude as you want about sleazey politicians

7:09pm Monday 10th December 2007

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I ALMOST fell off my seat recently after accidentally tuning into a TV documentary about Tony Blair. You know him, don't you? That smug bloke with the Cheshire cat grin who allegedly ran our country for ten years.

I didn't actually mean to watch it because Tiny Blur bores me. The cult of spin was so relentlessly depressing that it's almost a joy to see politics being dominated instead these days by Gordon's dour miserable face.

But Blur stunned me when he said he regretted continually attacking the Tory government over sleaze when he was leader of the opposition.

He used a football analogy by comparing it to falling over in the penalty area to get a spot-kick. He said it was too easy and that it demeaned politics because it gave the impression that all politicians were rotten when, in fact, the majority weren't and only wanted to serve their country.

That must be the most ridiculously pious statement I've ever heard from him. Kicking the old Tory government was one of the best things he ever did because, in the last days of the back to basics' Major administration, the Conservatives were a disgraceful rabble.

Blur's statement may have sounded gentlemanly, but it's dangerous. Because if all politicians followed this logic, then they'd all stick together to ensure the establishment was never brought into disrepute. That would create a gentleman's club' where hypocrisy would be allowed to flourish because there would be little danger of exposure.

Modern democracy relies on the opposition to create a fuss and cause aggravation in the right circumstances.

The moment politicians go soft on their opponents' foibles is the moment open government plunges into the abyss. They should be as rude about each other as they like - it's what they are paid for.