Myself, I always thought that William Hague looked like a pompous buffoon in his sparring matches with Blair. Blair came across as a drip, of course; but if anyone came off worse in the exchanges, I think it tended to be Hague.

I know the pundits in the media were prone to put it the other way - but why should I give any more weight to their views than I do to mine, when we'd both been watching the same drab soap opera on the TV?

Mr IDS on the other hand does surprisingly well. Far better than his predecessor.

Applying the "who would you want for a next door neighbour" test, I think I'd sooner have IDS than Tony. Sooner have Ken Livingstone of course. Or Ann Widdecombe for that matter. And if it was Thatcher I'd move. What a horrible thought...