Quote of the Day

Chris Huhne is the Lib Dem Energy Secretary in the Con-Dem Coalition Cabinet. He has strong views on electoral reform and dearly wants us all to go out and vote 'Yes' in the forthcoming AV Referendum. But he is not happy. He has accused David Cameron of over-seeing a dirty tricks campaign, urging people to vote 'No' with a combination of 'downright lies' and 'unfair tactics'. He has made the following observation about these tactics. I think we should bask in his undoubted wisdom...

"There is no doubt that if you behave in a thoroughly reprehensible and underhand manner you are going to lose the respect of people."

My my! Imagine someone in politics doing anything like that. I wonder what sort of things he could have been referring to. Maybe, he might have been thinking of stuff like...

• Breaking Signed Election Pledges.
• Submitting an MPs expenses claim of £5,066 for painting work on his garden fences and chairs.
• Shamelessly plastering pictures of his wife and kids on his election literature whilst secretly having an affair with a party worker, only to admit the affair to the press once the election was over, before telling his wife and children. Nice!
• Banging on and on about 'Labour's security-obsessed surveillance state' whilst holding shares in the UK company IRISYS, which specialises in producing... surveillance equipment.

Yes, Chris Huhne. Behaving in this manner might just lose you the respect of the people. Of course, he had an excuse for abstaining from the Tuition Fees vote - he was overseas at a Climate Change Conference (though somehow the Conservative Minister, Greg Barker, who was also at the Conference managed to make it back in time to cast his vote).

Clegg signs away his soul - if he ever had one

Still, it didn't stop 28 Lib Dem colleagues from voting directly against their signed pledges. Anyway, weren't all the MPs on the gravy train when it came to expenses? Who can be blamed for claiming for their garden furniture, eh? Even multi-millionaires like Chris need a nice garden to sit in. And an executive mahogany Corby trouser press (£119). Semi-skimmed milk (62p), chocolate Hob Nobs (79p), tea bags (89p), a bus ticket (£3.20), a cheese muffin (99p), bacon flavour Wheat Crunchies (28p) and Ready Brek (£1.81). He even submitted a bill for £85.35 for the "mounting, framing and inscription of a photo of Chris Huhne".  A bit vain perhaps, but I am sure it was very nice.

A Corby Trouser Press - no MP should be without one!

And doesn't everyone at some time in their lives do something a bit naughty - like talk on their mobile phone whilst driving (he did that too and received a driving ban). I mean, who doesn't exploit their family for electoral purposes whilst cheating on their wife? And then let her find out about it from the press. It's what any self-respecting guy might do - right?

'Be a good wife and smile for the cameras, Love'

And who doesn't have shares in companies that make thermal imagers and surveillance cameras? Doesn't everybody profit from the ubiquitous commercial and state-sponsored spying and then rail against it in parliament? I know I would if I was an MP.

So why shouldn't Chris shout his mouth off about a rival politician behaving in a 'thoroughly reprehensible and underhand manner'? We need guys like him in politics - the sort who are not afraid to hold up a mirror to the seedy, back-handed, double-dealing, cheat & liars that infest our political life. At least he didn't do what his leader Nick Clegg did - go to Cambridge University and join their Conservative Association. No, not our Chris. He went to Oxford University and joined their Labour Club.

Actually, in a strange way we do need MPs like Chris Huhne. We need them to remind us just how duplicitous and hypocritical the political class have become. We need them to spur people into action - to sit up and take notice. Sadly, I think the british people will continue doing what they have always done. They will tug their forelocks, wave their flags, cheer for Wills & Kate and retire to watch the latest goings-on in Albert Square, leaving the way clear for the political class to carve up the country for themselves. And to Mr Huhne - for your wonderfully ironic and shameless hypocrisy, I award you a 'Quote of the Day' Barf Award. You really deserve it...