Not just much of the Labour party, Nigel. Sadly, many politicians are of the same ilk nowadays. I am not sure where it all started but Blair wond with a massive populist manufesto and it has got steadily worse since.

I think BWM has mentioned the ultimate snake oil salesman though, although I am not sure if Farage learned from Johnson or vice-versa.

As to Mandleson, Well, he was one of the first people to whom the term spin doctor was applied. Anyone who can make a living from turning facts on their heads and creating stories from the flimsiest of sources should never have been in such a position of power in the first place. Dominic Cummins next???