BEAUTY CONTEST POLITICS

I was quite surprised to see columnist Carole Malone’s fierce attack on Ed Miliband in yesterday’s Labour-supporting Sunday Mirror.

 

She said: “Miliband is a busted flush whose incompetence has opened the door to UKIP.” This was, of course, written before the real extent of UKIP’s success in the European elections was known.

 

Ms Malone said one of the reasons Miliband was failing was people “…still can’t get over the geekiness, the weirdness, the fact that he looks and behaves like a creature from an alternative universe.”

 

Criticise his policies by all means, but are elections won and lost because of party leaders’ appearance? Sadly, yes – remember Michael Foot and his duffle coat and Gordon Brown’s smile?