WHY has everybody been so unkind to poor George Galloway of late? His only crime was to have a bit of well-publicised fun on a peak-time television programme.

Hands-up all those who have never made a complete fool of themselves at some stage in their lives. Think back to that New Year's Eve party way-back-when. Or perhaps the wedding reception at which you mixed beer, wine, brandy and the champagne toast, the gruesome concoction resulting in a Dervish-esque thrashfest on the dancefloor later that night.

I really don't understand why politicians must be holier than the rest of us. Why shouldn't they fall from grace sometimes, just like the rest of us mere mortals gazing up at Olympus?

Apart from that, as far as the three main parties are concerned, you can't get a piece of A4 between party policies these days.

On the odd occasions when politicians are fully-clothed, they just stick to making everyone else's life a misery.

George Galloway is undoubtedly one of the greatest pillocks that strode the earth, but he's chicken feed compared with the late George Brown. I saw Harold Wilson's number two in action twice - out of his skull on drink, face the colour of a loganberry, and offering to fight anyone.

Nowadays, we have an identity parade of politicians, each one only subtly different from his fellow.

Yes, Galloway is a gold-plated plonker of the first order, but true lunatics like George Brown brought real colour to politics. Now, the only shade is grey.