80 Special Advisers (“SPADs”) are at work in Whitehall for the Labour party. Essentially they are political commissars with open party affiliations paid for by the tax-payer to enforce the party line on the civil service. Under Thatcher there were a dozen or so across the entire government – Portillo was one of them – nowadays Blair has 20 or so in Downing Street alone.

The opposition parties are screaming foul, but to be honest what can be done to level the playing field – besides making the parties pay for them out of their own funds? Which is not bloody likely.

The fact is that the SPADs are now working full time for a Blair victory, only once the election date is announced will they move from Whitehall to Labour HQ or the constituencies in to which they have been parachuted…