For the sake of argument, let us say that the legacy of the Labour government, when its time is up, will be a level of corruption in government circles and throughout the public services far greater than anything Britain has experienced in the last two centuries. This came about because Tony (bless him)  couldn’t lie straight in bed, and he recruited lieutenants whose only motivation was self-advancement and whose integrity was non-existent. These worthies in due course became ministers of the crown and spread their poison throughout the ministries to which they were assigned. In spite of all of this, one never hears Cameron, or Hague, or Osborne (or any of the several Tories who are quite capable of stringing a few intelligible sentences together), one never hears them spelling out the full horror of the devastation which the present administration has created. No need for that, I hear you say. Their chickens are coming home to roost on a daily basis. The appalling Brown is constantly being shaken and stirred as examples of Labour’s dishonesty and incompetence hit the headlines, and the fan, one after another. Surely that is retribution in full, is it not? 

Not so, say I. As long as Labour is in power, it is right and proper that the government should be pilloried. But what happens when the electorate decides to give them the boot?

 Then things will improve, surely?  

Surely – but slowly. You get rid of a government in a day, but it takes considerably longer to get rid of the contamination for which that government is responsible. What is going to happen when the Tories take over, and examples of dishonesty and incompetence continue to disfigure the fair face of our public life? Do you think that the man in the street will say, “I quite understand, Mr Cameron. This is just the fallout from the previous incumbents and their merry men.  Worry not, do your best, we trust you.”?

No, sir, that is not what the man in the street will say. Instead he will decorate with expletives a statement to the effect that all politicians are crooked bastards. And the new lot are no different from Tony’s shower. After ten years of Tony and Gordon who can blame him? You are silent, sir. You have grown pale. You hear what I say, you know it makes sense, you fear the worst. Quite right. So you should. But do not despair. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. If the eloquent element of the Conservative party will explain to the people (not once, but again and again) the full horror of what has been going on for the last decade and the full extent of the damage that has been done, and if they will make it clear in advance that recovery is going to take time and that there will be more scandalous revelations, even after a change of government – if that process is implemented fully, fairly and frankly, the man in the street will give Mr Cameron a fair crack of the whip when bad things are revealed on his watch. If not, a walk on the downs becomes an uphill struggle and then turns into the North Face of the Eiger. Preparation, preparation, preparation  – and  the sooner it starts the better.