Give a Dog a Bad Name

In general terms I think it's pretty hard to give politics a bad name.

Lots of people are cynical about politics and politicians these days - rightly so in many ways -  because of the self-serving behaviour which leaves a bad taste in people's mouths.

Yet politics is a necessary evil to get things done - otherwise we'd have have complete anarchy and a dog eat dog society - without rules or norms of civil behaviour.

So what's important in politics is to resist the temptation to throw the baby out with the bathwater - to highlight examples of bad behaviour, but also to give credit where it's due.

An example of the kind of shameless behaviour that gets politicans a bad name  occurred at the weekend - involving a claim by Scottish Labour health spokesperson - Jackie Baillie.

Jackie Baillie claimed that NHS patients are being forced to share blankets in hospital - as a result of SNP government cuts - and she made this allegation at the recent Scottish Labour conference in Dundee.

Now her comments were immediately refuted.

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said there was "no truth" in Jackie baillie's claims that patients were having to use their dressing gowns - as an alternative for blankets at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

In fact the health authority went much further and released a statement which said:

"This matter was raised with us a few weeks ago, and we were able to provide proof that there was no truth in this claim. Extra blankets are available in all our hospital as and when patients need them."

Yet the claim still stands - the words spoken at a supposedly serious political conference have not been retracted - and the impression has been given that people's most basic care needs are not being met in one of Scotland's major hospitals.

Now that is the kind of nonsense that give politics - and politicians - a bad name.

And in this particular case it is richly deserved.