'Who Loves Ya, Baby?'

In most modern, healthy democracies across the world - political leaders are normally regarded with a healthy dose of scepticism - by their own voters never mind anyone else.

The reason for this is simple and reflects an abolute truth about politics, past and present: power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

So the ability of ordinary voters to put political leaders 'back in their box' and even to replace them from time to time - is a necessary precondition to be met in a modern  democracy which aims to promote a healthy 'live and let live' society.

Yet sometimes this understandable scepticism can be taken too far - a case in point being the recent Presidential election in America, for example.

The final outcome was a convincing win for Barack Obama - but along the way it seemed to me that the normal rough and tumble of political debate got way out of hand - on all sides, at times, it has to be said.

The image that sticks most in my mind is the one of political opponents having the cheek to challenge Barack Obam's credentials as an American citizen - and his right even to contest the election in the first place.

To my mind this kind of behaviour is nasty, corrosive and completely unnecessary - because it encourages everyone to behave badly and poisons the political waterhole -  the very language of political debate.

Which brings me to the Scottish Parliament and the weekly 'interrogation' of Scotland's First Minister at First Minster's Questions - or FMQs for short.

Now FMQs should be an opportunity for holding the First Minister to account - for intelligent political discussion and debate - albeit peppered with the odd bit of theatre and old-fashioned knockabout.

Instead it has become a national joke in which opposition figures - 'led', if that's the right word, by Labour's Johann Lamont - simply call the First Minister a 'barefaced liar' and claim that no one in Scotland 'believes a word' Alex Salmond says these days. 

Call me old-fashioned if you like - but I think that's a ridiculous way for Scotland's  politicians to behave - surely they can do better than the politics of the school playground?

Still, I suppose the schoolground politics of the Scottish Parliament are better than what's on offer in North Korea - where the last 'Dear Leader' (Kim Jong-ill) has been embalmbed and put on public display 'forever' according to government sources - in a display of everlasting national affection.

'Who loves ya, baby?', as the famous New York TV detective - Kojak - would have said.

Everyone, apparently - that is if the North Korean government is to be believed. 

But remember that Kim Jong-ill's acolytes in North Korea also claim that their Dear Leader once scored five 'holes-in-one' - in a single round of golf.

Now that really is unbelievable.