Give politicians a break - they are NOT monsters

I suspect this column won’t win me many votes but I feel the need today to defend what many people regard as the indefensible.

For today I will put my proverbial tin hat on and try to defend politicians. Again.

I do so despite the fact that I accept we are operating in the most hostile, cynical and negative climate about politicians we have ever had to face. And I am fairly certain that even as a pretty proud cynic myself, this isn’t really very healthy.


I have been dragged to the politician-defending barracks again following the reaction to Gordon Brown’s interview with Piers Morgan on Sunday night.



In many ways it was a rather toe-curling exercise watching the preening Mr Morgan pushing the PM on such frivolities of his beach-based proposal to wife Sarah. However, the gentle nature of the interview process really brought the ‘dour Scot’ out of himself. Without a heavyweight political agenda to defend, Brown opened himself up and revealed hitherto unknown aspects of his private life and his private tragedies.

It was actually a very skilful interview by Piers Morgan who knew exactly what he was doing by taking the PM away from Number 10 and as such we learned a lot more about the man behind the famous door than we may have expected.

I doubt, to be honest, if the show won or lost Labour votes but I did feel I was seeing someone being sincere. And yet if you read or listened to some of the reactions that followed the show you would never have believed it. Some critics claimed it was all fake, questioned Brown’s tears or said it was a cynical election exercise. All of which left me feeling nothing short of despair.





You would have to be a total monster to fake tears talking about your first born dying after 10 days – and Gordon Brown may be many things but a monster he ain’t.

In my opinion we have got to this destructive state of politician-bating because of the current state of our dire economic position and last year’s admittedly depressing MPs’ expenses row. As such people are so angry about the people who govern that they will believe any rubbish spouted about them – however far-fetched and ridiculous.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not about to recommend sainthood for our political ‘masters’ and it is obvious there are a lot of them who prove the bad apple in every bunch theory. But then again I can’t think of a single profession that is whiter than white. And if you think yours is, let me know and I will dig into our archives and show you why you are wrong.

So, with an election coming I just hope we can raise the level of debate a bit. Let’s tone down the childish conspiracy theories and not treat our politicians and would-be politicians like we used to treat lepers in the Middle Ages.

Politicians are human beings complete with the same failings as the rest of us but the majority – and I believe it is the overwhelming majority – are just ordinary people who want to make a difference.

Give ’em a break, hey?

This article appears in the Bath Chronicle on Thursday, February 18.

My Downing Street 'sporting' adventure

I know this makes me something of a rarity (or some may call me something far worse) but I really, yes really, like politics. I always have, I always will.

As a big sports fan I just see party politics as another form of great sporting drama. In this case you have a number of sides competing for the big prize but they are kicking around ideas instead of footballs to win it. It is all wonderful theatre to me and what makes it so intriguing is that the players make moves that affect our everyday life.

It is all simply irresistible and the most under-rated sport in Britain.

It was for that reason that I was thrilled, for the second consecutive year, to have been invited last week to the Wembley of the political world – 10, Downing Street – for a regional media reception.

The Prime Minister and his wife hosted the event which attracted members of the regional press from all over the country for an intriguing couple of hours. It was last Wednesday – the day when the snow came back after a temporary ceasefire – but that didn’t stop any of us travelling because we didn’t want to miss the chance to chat to some of the most influential people in the country and talk with enthusiasm about the areas we represent and the concerns of the communities we serve.

To be honest, the first surprise for me, was how relaxed Gordon Brown seemed on this occasion. Last year, when he was in a probably stronger position in terms of the opinion polls, he looked as though he had the world on his shoulders but on this occasion he seemed far more buoyant and even a bit rejuvenated. Maybe he is more determined to hang on to the top job than we think?

Elsewhere I had the chance to chat to the likes of Alistair Darling, Hilary Benn, Jack Straw and Lord Mandelson. All of them had ‘something’ about them but I have to say it was the ‘Lord’ himself who really exuded power. When he walked into the room virtually all the heads turned and I got the impression that after the PM he was the one we all wanted a quick word with.

There’s just something about him . . . (I will pause so you can all say exactly what you think that is!)

The idea of the reception is not to make political capital – I am proud of the fact that editors of the regional press are passionately non-partisan when they are in official mode – but it was a good opportunity for those at the top of Governemen to get a feel for what is happening on the ground throughout the UK. As such, I was happy to talk about the forthcoming elections in the seats of Bath and North East Somerset – both of which are very much on the radar among the powers that be.

As I left Number 10, looking back at that famous front door, I couldn’t help but wonder whether I would get another invitation next year. And, indeed, who it would be that would be doing the invitations. Will Mr Brown defy the odds and still be there? Is David Cameron a nailed-on cert? Should we be looking at Nick Clegg?

Or even, dare I say it, could it be a ‘Lordly’ invitation . . .

A trip to Downing Street.....

This is an updated version based on my Bath Chronicle column of January 28.

On Wednesday night I had the supreme pleasure of walking through the door of the most famous house in Britain - 10, Downing Street. And also, while I was there, the rare chance to meet and talk to the man who calls it home.

Like most newspaper editors, I am very fortunate indeed that I get invited to represent the paper at a wide variety of events.

In a city such as Bath where there is just so much going on, I’m normally only able to accept about one in three of the invitations I receive but I am always incredibly grateful that the paper is considered so important to local life that I find myself on a lot of invite-lists to community events big and small.

I try not to get too blasé or complacent about any invitations I get and to treat each one with equal respect but the one inviting your humble Bath Chronicle editor to a regional media reception with the Prime Minister was one that definitely made me smile.

As I’m sure many people will be aware, the local newspaper industry like so many others, is having rather a tough time at the moment and so I was very pleased that Mr Brown had got together a number of members of our profession so we could talk about the regional press. After all our problems are very similar to that of many companies and we as editors were there to represent not only our own profession but also the cities and communities we passionately serve.

I got to chat to the 'Big Man' for about five minutes along with a couple of other editors and he came over as someone with a real weight on his shoulders but with a genuine sense of commitment to see the country through its difficult times. Occasionally he went almost into a public speech mode even though these were private conversations (i.e he declared ‘we are in the midst of a global banking crisis etc…)’ but I still felt he had integrity and he listened to, and cared about, our various concerns.

He also wasn’t alone amidst the ranks of the regional press. During the night we also saw Alistair Darling (who looks far younger than he does on TV), Margaret Beckett, Jacqui Smith and various other senior Labour-ites including the somewhat unmistakeable figure of the ever smiling Hazel Blears.

Just as exciting for me was we had got chatting to a number 10 press officer before GB arrived and she took on us an on exclusive tour of all the state rooms and then (even better) the cabinet room. That was fascinating to think of the decisions (life and death, war and peace etc) that have been made in that room and it was also interesting to see the quirky thing that while every other chair is placed firmly under the desk, tradition demands that the desk the PM sits in is always out and at a specific angle. Curious.

On the way out we managed to get a quick snatched pic with our mobile outside number 10 but as you can see it was so dark and it isn’t a great pic.

Still, I will dine out on on my 'ten out of Number 10' trip for some time!