Hencke in the Guardian this morning reports the Labour Party is hiring Derek Draper, a psychotherapist “experienced at treating emotional and psychological issues including: self-esteem, personal development, depression, anxiety, addictions, self-harm, personality problems and family and relationship concerns” to advise on how the party should better communicate its message. Clearly the right man at the right time in the right place.

Draper was one of the original sleazy New Labour lobbyists that proliferated in the late 90s. He quit politics after a cash for access scandal engulfed him. That he has been re-appointed by Labour just shows that Gordon is really having to scrape the barrel.

When Cameron and Osborne won the leadership of the Tories, “Dolly” Draper was said to be boasting that he had socialised (nudge, nudge, wink, wink) with them back in the Notting Hill days. The understood implication being that none of them had kept their noses clean. No News of the Screws scandal exposé resulted. Some said it was because there was none, others mused that no newspaper editor thought Draper would be a credible witness for the defence in a defamation suit. Still, it will be handy to have his new skills available to Gordon…

UPDATE : 1 in 5 MPs has suffered mental illness according to a survey conducted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Mental Health. The report suggests that MPs cover-up their illnesses. LibDem MP Sandra Gidley chairs the group and says when “the former Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik publicly disclosed his experience of depression, it did not affect his popularity”. The Palace of Westminster has a dispensary, the inventory supplies list would show a hefty monthly order for Prozac.

Without wishing to trivialise mental health issues, the PM’s mental health is being widely discussed if not publicly commented upon in the press. Given that Blair / Campbell back in the day described him as “psychologically flawed” it is not a new matter of concern. It is legitimate in these circumstances to consider the head of government’s mental well being when he clearly looks like someone at the end of his tether. A large proportion of the Westminster Village (across political lines) thinks that Gordon is unbalanced. The youthful wunderkind, blinded in one eye, the obsessive political nature, the brooding malevolence… some openly speculate that he suffers from high-functioning autism- a form of Aspergers. The first step to recovery is acknowledging the problem.