Huhne – the first law of holes should have been used

You have to be really impressed by some people’s stupidity. Chris Huhne will not be the first person who, on facing a driving ban, finds an accommodating person to swallow the points. This is stupid enough. What elevated it to impressive proportions were his consistent denials once it was obvious he had been caught out. If he had admitted his error of judgement early on then I reckon he would still have a career in politics. As it is, his persistent lying has made his exit from national politics inevitable.

As with so many of these types of things it is rarely the first offence that drags them down, it is the denials, the evasions, the refusal to properly apologise until cornered, that wreak the irreparable damage. Voters know that politicians have feet of clay. The occasional lapse or mistake, while rightly brought to task, will rarely cause lasting damage. Some might argue that it is the mistakes that make us what we are. But, having done something stupid there is only one sensible course of action – admit, apologise, do penance.

The first law of holes always applies.

Del Thomas is an aspiring councillor who has uttered something stupid (Tory Compares Gay People To Paedophiles). He has issued a half-hearted apology (I caused offence with my last tweet and im sorry. I wasnt comparing gays 2 paedophiles and was just saying the argument could justify any) but he really needs to do better than this.

I like Del, and he certainly had a future in local politics. If he wants my advice he must make a proper apology, not some mealy-mouthed half-hearted excuse for one – I will be monitoring his blog for the next few days.