"He's not as nice as he looks"
Gordon Brown's verbal mugging of a Rochdale pensioner yesterday - reminded me of something Winston Churchill once said of another 'honourable member' - many years ago.
The target of Churchill's venom was Ian Mikardo, a left-wing Labour MP - whom he put down with the withering comment that: " He's not as nice as he looks".
The Prime Minister's careless put down of an ordinary Labour supporter has given the public a rare insight into the real Gordon Brown - without the protection of his party or government spin doctors.
What the electorate make of it all remains to be seen.
But the whole sorry saga does suggest that our politicians still regard ordinary people as 'voting fodder' - as useful idiots who propel them into power - rather than as citizens whose views and opinions should be treated with respect.
The target of Churchill's venom was Ian Mikardo, a left-wing Labour MP - whom he put down with the withering comment that: " He's not as nice as he looks".
The Prime Minister's careless put down of an ordinary Labour supporter has given the public a rare insight into the real Gordon Brown - without the protection of his party or government spin doctors.
What the electorate make of it all remains to be seen.
But the whole sorry saga does suggest that our politicians still regard ordinary people as 'voting fodder' - as useful idiots who propel them into power - rather than as citizens whose views and opinions should be treated with respect.
