Ruth Kelly has come under fire…again. It s not all that surprising, really. If the former champion of state schools decides to send her child to a private school then what does she expect? A pat on the back and a letter of congratulations? Give me a break

Ruth Kelly has come under fire...again.

It's not all that surprising, really. If the former champion of state schools decides to send her child to a private school then what does she expect? A pat on the back and a letter of congratulations? Give me a break.

Politicians run the country and in doing so they tell people what to do. If they act against their own advice - and Labour, you'll remember, supported pushing children with special needs into mainstream schools, I think they called it "inclusion" - then surely they should expect criticism.

Some people may think it's a personal matter and Miss Kelly should do what she thinks best for her child.

Well, this is the same person who spent 17 months as Education Secretary telling others what to do with their children which some parents thought was not in the best interest of their child.

However, the thing which interests me most about this whole story is where the main criticism is coming from.

It was not, as you would normally expect these days, from the opposition, though I doubt very much if David Cameron's softly, softly approach to politics has rubbed off on his party.

And does anyone take the Lib Dems seriously any more?

It came from within Miss Kelly's own ranks, from the Labour lefties - and yes, they do still exist.

There aren't many of them left, but those who are, those on the outskirts of the party, are quick to shoot from the hip (anonymously, of course) when someone from within their own party does something not of their liking, something "un-socialist".

An anonymous Labour MP was quoted in a national newspaper saying Miss Kelly's decision was a "slap in the face". Has this person realised that his or her party has long left its socialist days behind?

They're led by a former Fettes College student and Oxford graduate for Pete's sake, and the most notably working class lad, John Prescott, sticks out like a sore thumb.

The party has moved on, and in doing so it performed sensationally well at the '97 election.

Or are these left-wing Labour rebels too happy sitting in their safe seats at the back of the House of Commons, getting fat while their own government attacks obesity (has anyone noticed that our next PM is not all that skinny himself?).

Maybe their egos are just too large for them to drop out of the public eye.

Instead they stick their heads above the parapet every now and then to snipe on their colleagues.

For those politicians who dislike the party they are in, there is a simple solution - shut up and get out.