Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Here's an interesting one - an editorial comment from Mary Riddell in Sunday's Observer, in which she leaps to the defence of the Blunkmeister himself under the headline , following recent renewed scandals surrounding the Work and Pensions Secretary. Being horribly cynical, I was all prepared for some sort of "leave the poor blind man alone" article - but apart from a passing reference to him having "survived more than most people could endure", it isn't.

In fact, one of the biggest targets in the piece is the satirical drama A Very Social Secretary - which recently launched Channel 4's new digital station, More4 - and the way in which the show's writers continually poked fun at Blunkett's blindness:

"He can't tell who else is in the room! He hides in the ladies' toilet by mistake! Then there were the visual gags about being blind and working class. He chews on cocktail party canapes as a horse might crunch up carrots. Ho, ho. Finally, there was the line about how blind, working-class men are terrible lovers."

And, er, I'll stop the quote there, because it goes on to discuss one particular scene between Blunkett and his mistress Kimberly Quinn. But since we might have children reading, carry on with it in The Observer, OK?