the ever charming Two Jags

From today's Guardian...

"Joining us this morning we have the deputy prime minister, John Prescott. Since you are the first senior minister to talk to us since the execution of Saddam Hussein, I wonder if ..."
"A senior minister with a name, as well! I often hear you talk about 'senior sources' but I'm very happy to put my name to whatever I say today."
"I think that must be some kind of record, Mr Prescott! I haven't even got the first question out before you're attacking us for the way we report things ..."
So began yesterday's interview of John Prescott by Ed Stourton on Radio 4's Today programme, and the battle lines were drawn between the two men, who were clearly, albeit in their very different ways, up for it.
The problem was that Prescott, even in his final ministerial days, has not yet learned that throwing the verbal equivalents of hamlike fists around is never the best way to get your point across to listeners...
Instead we got an increasingly dyspeptic Prescott raging against Stourton, the BBC and eventually all press.
"This is a typical manoeuvre by you, Ed", "Oh, another Ed Stourton, BBC interpretation ... it's a united, successful Labour government, for God's sake! Could you just actually acknowledge that?", "Use your common judgment and your common sense, don't rely on press allegations."
Oh, and the interpretation of the new-year message as indicative of a division between Blair and Brown is "A. Load. Of Rubbish. Can I just say that?"

You've gotta love ole Prezza. He's got the manners of a warthog and the breeding of a pug. Still, it's always that bit more interesting when certain politicians deviate from their usual slippery facade and show themselves up as the playground bullies they so often are.