Tristram Hunt and Karl Rove

You can't condemn Tristram Hunt for lack of imagination. In a Guardian article the other day he interprets Andrew Lansley's apparently unguarded comments about ring-fencing NHS spending and making budget cuts elsewhere in 2011 as a prime example of Karl Rove's school of "down and dirty" politics.

Let me see if I have understood the argument. Lansley says in an interview that ring-fencing NHS spending in 2011 will probably mean cuts of about 10% in all other departments. Gordon Brown immediately jumps in and hints darkly that cuts by the Conservatives will lead to shoeless children and little old ladies out on the streets in mid-winter. It turns out that Lansley was using the governments own figures. Undeterred Brown and his cabinet continue with the lie that there will be continuous investment under Labour and only the Conservatives will cut. The media for once are awake, as indeed are political bloggers. They examine the figures and find that the Conservatives are speaking the truth on this matter and that Brown is determined to carry on lying.

In Mr Hunt's mind this is an illuminating example of dirty politics on the part of the Conservatives. How very devious of them to expose Brown's lying and indeed to bring the media along with them.

Obviously we would all be much better off if the lies were allowed to continue and the media continued to behave themselves!