Training

Daily Express: Jacqui Smith, Britain’s first woman Home Secretary, revealed yesterday that she had not felt qualified to do the job.

Damn straight. I always thought the Home Secretary should be someone who had a commanding presence. The only way she could ever scare anyone is by showing a bit of cleavage. Still makes me sick to this day. And probably most of the Conservative frontbench.

But we all knew Gordon Brown never chose her for one of the Great Offices of State because of her keen interest in police reform or her leadership qualities. Quite the opposite in the case of the latter. She was there because he could walk all over her.

Ms Smith, who quit last month after 709 days in the role, said ministers should get more training to help them run their departments.

Can you be trained to be a minister? I'm not so sure. I don't think you can train someone to have good leadership and man-management skills, or in some cases to have a reforming zeal.

Besides, being able to "train" ministers - perhaps to the point where we have a new 'diploma' in being a head of a government department - would affirm the idea that politics is a career rather than a "calling" (if that's not too cliché for you).