Esther Rantzen in Parliament? Which problem would that solve?
THERE'S no doubting that when Esther Rantzen puts her mind to something, it usually gets done.
Look at Childine, a superb project which has helped tens of thousands of people. Look at That's Life - a lot of good work done for a lot of people
But in announcing that she's going to stand for Parliament in Luton South, the question has to be asked: Has she lost the plot?
She's no Martin Bell, riding into a constituency to provide an alternative for party voters traditionally loyal to a MP whose behaviour has been called into question.
Her good work is done already. Margaret Moran, the Labour MP who spent £22,500 of tax payers' money treating dry rot at her and her husband's seaside house a hundred miles from her constituency days after switching her second home there, has already said she'll quit.
Sadly, in all the interviews I've seen with Ms Moran, arguably one of the worst offenders in the political expenses row to date, the MP can't quite understand why there is so much public anger against her.
But that's a side issue now. She's said she'll go, and she'll be gone when Esther rocks up in Luton, a town used to being associated with TV presenters of yesteryear - Nick Owen is the chairman of Luton Football Club.
Perhaps Esther would have run an impressive victory if Ms Moran had insisted on standing - and if the Labour Party had been stupid enough to let her stand on the Labour ticket. But whatever we think of Labour, they aren't stupid enough to ignore the lessons of Martin Bell's famous victory in Tatton.
He won, of course, because Neil Hamilton stood for the Tories, and Labour and the Lib Dems withdrew. Are the Tories likely to withdraw from a seat which saw the Labour MP's majority halve last time? Unlikely, at least.
Even Esther is talking about a "humilating" defeat being a possibility. So why is she bothering? She talks of it being an "adventure" but do the people of Luton South want to support such an adventure? Given how likely the public are to want to give Labour a kicking, are they going to ditch a dead-cert Tory campaign in favour of punting on a celebrity?
To me, it seems Esther isn't so much fascinated by politics as the attention she got when she said she'd stand. Sure, people have been welcoming, but aren't they nice to all celebrities? Her performance on Question Time was weak at best, full of populist statements which seemed short on facts.
It just feels like a way to get attention, rather like the way That's Life moved more and more away from serious consumer issues to gimmicky features such as odd shaped vegetables in the dying days of its life on BBC 1.
Politics in the UK can't afford gimmicks at the moment - and it certainly can't afford to move away from serious decisions in favour of populist celebrities.
Sadly, Esther, That's Life in Britain today.
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David Higgerson - David Higgerson has covered local and national politics for much of his career as a journalist. This blog aims to look at Westminister from the outside in, at a time when it appears very few are looking out from the inside.
Esther Rantzen should stand in Mid Bedfordshire where the incumbent does need shifting and probably won't be sacked by her party or leave of her own accord. I've blogged about that and Esther, and Hazel HERE.
Sounds like exactly the sort of place where an "anti sleaze" celebrity should stand, Chris, where she can act as an alternative to someone who won't go. Good luck!