Playground Politics

I witnessed an unpleasant sight the other night.

The sight of that pompous oaf - Lord John Prescott - almost peeing his pants with glee on This Week, the BBC politics programme with presenter Andrew Neil.  

The subject of JP's great merriment was the supposed discomfiture of the Prime Minister - David Cameron - whom John despises enormously like all Tories.

Anyway, John was delighted that the Prime Minister of Bermuda had thrown a spanner in the works of the UK Prime Minister's efforts to call off-shore tax havens to account - by allegedly refusing to go along with plans for reform.

Now by the time anyone reads this - Bermuda's attempts to have the 'tail wagging the dog' may be ancient history - because there seems to be an appetite amongst world leaders to tackle this problem.

But there was no mistaking the pleasure this 'noble' lord seemed to find in the story - so long as it was bad for the Tories, at least, and the Coalition Government - and to hell with what would be good for the country.

To me John Prescott embodies all the worst things about politicians - he is  completely tribal at all times, not terribly intelligent, has a bloated opinion of himself - and can't raise his sights high enough to see the big picture.

In other words he is the kind of politician who gives politics a bad name - and whose behaviour with a junior, female member of his staff brought his high public office and the Labour Party into disrepute.   

But even though John is now retired on a deputy prime minister's pension - he now sits in the House of Lords where he is entitled to claim another £300 a day tax free - and only recently JP lost out on an election to become a Police and Crime Commissioner in the north east of England.

Thank goodness for that is all I can say  because the man is a walking embarassment - to politics generally never mind the Labour Party.