mikey - "I think that on the whole, we like our Politicians to be a little more human, rather than stuffed shirts."
I entirely agree, but i would prefer that they showed their humanity by being human, rather than sleeping with other men's wives, or brawling in the street.
I competely understand that politicians are human and instinctive like the rest of us. But that does not negate the fact that with the job comes the responsibility.
If you are going to be a government minister, then you are undertaking to uphold the laws, moral and legal, as established by the country over which you govern. To transgress instantly removes any shred of dignity and propriety you have, and makes anything you say about moral or legal wrongdoings laughable.
Prescott could never stand in the Commons, and cannot stand in the Lords, and make any comment at all about street brawling, because his action has removed that right - which is why politicians have to be models of what is considered acceptable behaviour.
I don't make society's rules, but I to a lesser, and they to a greater degree, must live by them. With the profille, the money and the power, comes the responsibility - you don't get to behave like a DPM and then have an occasional few minutes off while you punch a stranger - life is not like that.