Kicking the Beckett

In the Observer (here) Margaret Beckett has been whinging that people don't like her. Apparently some of the criticism she has been subjected to has been "spiteful".

She goes through a few permutations of why this might be. It goes with the territory perhaps, Robin got it a bit and "Jack got it a lot"

Or maybe it's her style "I have always made the choice of trying to be effective rather than attract attention."

Or maybe it's just because she's woman.

I'd like to add a couple of suggestions to this list of possible causes.

Perhaps when you set off to France on a caravaning holiday yesterday there was something you'd left unattended. Left the gas on? Didn't lock the back door? Oh no - it's the biggest international crisis since I took the position of Foreign Secretary.

Perhaps people are less than satisfied with the UK's foreign policy - of which you are in charge. Maybe instead of blocking all initiatives at a ceasefire to save hundred of lives the UK government could have thought the unthinkable and taken a position other than that dictated to us by George W. Bush.

It really is a mystery as to why people might criticise you Marge - I put it down to jealousy.