Punch and jokers

Tony Blair's view of his deputy's reaction: "John is John"

		By Mark Mardell BBC News political correspondent

As the Prime Minister sighed "John is John", a colleague observed that this was the sort of thing that exasperated mothers say when their young thug of a son is up in court yet again.

The Labour news conference was a largely successful attempt to lighten the impact of Mr Prescott's left hook, but it shouldn't disguise what has happened.

Blunkett: ready with right hook when Blair took his jacket off

Over the years British politicians have been flooded in flour, bathed in rotten tomatoes, and worn more scrambled egg than four-star generals.

They have reacted in different ways.

Some appear chastened, bewildered and humiliated by their experience, some seem angry and affronted by the rudeness of the protesters.

But I can't think of a single occasion when an MP has hit out.

I am pretty sure no member of the Cabinet has landed a punch.

George Brown

I am absolutely certain that no Deputy Prime Minister of Great Britain has before engaged in actual fisticuffs.

Michael Heseltine may have swung the mace, but not his right.

Willie Whitelaw never landed a good one. George Brown made many a trip after cup met lip but only he ended up on the canvass.

But today the role of D-PM looks to be a rather undignified part of the constitution.

So Labour's expert teams of media managers had a job on their hands at this morning's news conferences, and in a purely technical sense they played a blinder.

First they didn't try to fruitlessly persuade the media that this wasn't a story or wasn't THE story.

Humour the key

There was a little hint of their old argument every time there's an embarrassing incident that we should concentrate on "real" issues, but the Prime Minister dealt with it directly in his news conference.

His argument: it shouldn't have happened but "John is John".

You have to remember that all us hacks are in a state of high excitement about this event and many of us find it exhilarating and funny rather than disgraceful

Labour's secret weapon was humour.

You have to remember that all us hacks are in a state of high excitement about this event and many of us find it exhilarating and funny rather than disgraceful.

So when the Prime Minister said he was taking his jacket off, and David Blunkett said he thought he'd better be ready with his right hook, we laughed.

When Gordon Brown interrupted the Prime minister to say HE had never been pelted with tomatoes, we roared.

Chuckling and chortling

When Mr Blair said his deputy had "great strengths" we nearly wet ourselves.

This laugh-a-minute was not because Labour aspire to being stand-up comics, but because they are superb masters of tone.

It is very difficult for any journalist to emerge from chuckling and chortling to opine this is the most serious threat to British Democracy that he or she can recall

It is very difficult for any journalist to emerge from chuckling and chortling to opine this is the most serious threat to British Democracy that he or she can recall.

People will get the message that "John is John".

This is a deeply patronising judgement but not an inaccurate representation of the Westminster mood towards Mr Prescott.

Things have moved on from the times Conservatives used to yell "Gin and tonic, Giovanni" at the man who used to be a waiter on a cruise liner.

Honorific title

But the underlying assumption is that as a burly working class lad made good you can't expect much better.

And it's true he has a very short fuse.

His finger has never hovered near the nuclear button, he will not send British troops to war, he will not take over if Mr Blair falls under a bus

And true he has not made a great success of his job in either transport or environment.

So should a man who lashes out be Deputy Prime minister?

Westminster accepts that is an honorific title, a reward for being seen as the breathing incarnation of the soul of Old Labour.

He does not have the power of Gordon Brown, the influence of Alistair Campbell, the rising star status of David Blunkett.

His finger has never hovered near the nuclear button, he will not send British troops to war, he will not take over if Mr Blair falls under a bus.

What effect

What of the effect?

Public opinion seems to be equally divided between the "Cor what a lad" tendency and the "Democracy in disgrace" party.

I sense that there is perhaps an anger among the public that the result of the election seems to be a foregone conclusion.

Perhaps exactly what people want to see is John Prescott flat on his back, Tony Blair being harangued... Having felt Labour have got a good slapping they can re-elected them with a clear conscience

There is certainly dissatisfaction with the Labour government.

But no great hunger for the alternative.

Perhaps exactly what people want to see is John Prescott flat on his back, Tony Blair being harangued.

Having felt Labour have got a good slapping they can re-elect them with a clear conscience.

What the public never expect though, is politicians hitting back.

Maybe every campaigner from every party should go well equipped with out-of-date eggs and ripe fruit to answer the voters' less polite interventions in kind.