JOURNALISTS have always had a mixed relationship with politicians. The American humorist HL Mencken likened it to dogs and lamp-posts. But it's more complicated than that.
As an ordinary citizen, I'm free to dislike any political figure I want and withhold my vote from them. But, as a journalist, I've ended up with a sneaking regard for those elected representatives who usually agree to do an interview, or those who will return your call with civility or will agree to an off-the-record briefing, despite their political views being anathema to me.
You know that they're not doing it as a personal favour to you, and there is mostly something in it for them, but you have a programme to fill or an article to write so you need them too.
There are politicians whose opinions you personally despise, but they are as entitled to air their views as those you agree with. There's the amiable Cecil Walker types – who famously said "Put me down for the usual" when he was rung up for a quote – and there are the endlessly willing pros who will cycle down to the studio for 7am. You are missed, Conall McDevitt.
There are also the snide ones who you couldn't like if you reared them, as my mum would say. And then there are those who seem too nice to be in politics, like Dr John Kyle, formerly with the Progressive Unionist Party.
He was invariably pleasant no matter what you put to him, and like many, I wondered how he came to be in a party that had links with the UVF and other murderous groupings.
I guess he wanted to represent the working class Protestants he served as a GP, but he always seemed an odd fit.
Now his basic honesty and decency has put him into the 'Lundy' category – that special place reserved for unionists who are accused of betraying their community.
His crime was to speak honestly about the NI protocol, saying what is blindingly obvious – that, with some reforms, there are real opportunities with the "best of both worlds" position it gives us.
In his interview on The View, he also said unionism was not good at debating issues and tended to always look for the negative analysis instead of a three-dimensional, longer- term view.
Got it in one, John.
You are reasonable, articulate, intelligent and foresighted, therefore you are a traitor to the cause. As always, unionism is its own worst enemy.
Far better to utter constant clarion calls about tearing down the Assembly. Yeah, that'll work.
****
EVERY family has a dodgy uncle. That's according to Jeremy Corbyn's son Tommy, nephew of Piers. He's the loony anti-vaxxer who's been demonstrating his contempt for science and the NHS with his increasingly extreme protests.
His most recent was leading a mob which stormed a Covid testing site at Milton Keynes, shouting abuse at terrified staff, tearing down signs and hurling traffic cones. Corbyn has a First in Physics from Imperial College.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the educational spectrum is another family which specialises in dodgy uncles: the Windsors. They brought us mad uncle David, ex-King and Nazi sympathiser, and now they're having to contend with Prince Andrew, erstwhile friend of paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and his sex trafficker accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
Hiding out in one of mother's castles, he is so determined to clear his name of claims that he had sex with a trafficked teenager, that he refuses to speak to the FBI or testify at the New York court investigating the accusations.
His defence so far amounts to a contention that the victim was already bought off by Epstein for half-a-million dollars to keep her mouth shut about any other potential defendants. The Prince's lawyers say that includes him.
It's not a very convincing way of clearing your name. But then, his last attempt at that was the interview with Emily Maitlis.
That went well, didn't it?
***
FORTUNATELY, I didn't actually make a New Year's resolution to 'be nicer'. Because I would have broken it at the City Hall last weekend as the anti-vax, anti-mask, anti-sense numpties gathered there for another demonstration of their own selfish stupidity.
As healthcare staff struggle with double shifts to cover for sick colleagues, while the beds fill with the unvaccinated, I saw a nurse standing watching the crowd. The expression of hurt and anger on her face should have made them ashamed.
But they don't do shame.
