Politicians must be boring, have no private life and have nothing to say...

That’s, more or less, what David Blunkett said in the extract from his memoirs that he read on Radio Four this morning. How true; how many towering political figures from the past would survive today’s media onslaught? How long would it have taken, for example, for the Daily Sludge to have uncovered some of Winston Churchill’s character flaws and served them up for our salacious delight?

I’m not sure why the post I wrote yesterday on this topic (and about how you can listen to the broadcasts from the web site) has vanished but no matter. Today he outlines many of the trials and tribulations of being a minister and the extra difficulties if you’re blind. He talks about the compromises necessary in politics and the irritation of former colleagues who, like Roy Hattersley to name but a few, can’t resist indulging (well chosen word) themselves in the newspapers.

At the Any Questions broadcast that I endured last Friday, there was a little discussion about whether he should have published the book whilst the government of which he was part was still in office. The conclusion was that he should have waited before publishing. I’m not sure that I agree, we need to be reminded that being in government isn’t as straightforward as some journalists, opposition politicians, bar-room bores or bloggers might have us believe...