ONE remark made by the Prime Minister after the general election made me choke on my bedtime drink.

Mr Blair said he would be listening to the people more in the future.

He has been Prime Minister for eight years. Why hasn't he been listening to the people for the whole of that period?

Didn't he realise this from the beginning? And if not, what has he got inside his head?

Governments should always be listening. A huge majority doesn't give any party carte blanche.

I have never been a big fan of the Prime Minister. I don't want a matine idol. I want someone dependable.

It's not because his policies are wrong.

For example, as we are never going to get to a situation where mums can stay at home and look after the kids until they go to school, and because there are so many problems for families in deprived areas, I think it is a good idea to help young families.

Labour is doing this and I hope it works because if you don't start at the beginning and cure the problems, all the bad stuff that follows, like drugs and antisocial behaviour will continue.

But back to the Prime Minister. He was given an easy ride for years by many colleagues in the media.

Now at last they are saying Mr Blair will have to adopt a less presidential style and be a bit more open about what he and his buddies are saying when they gather on the sofa with their mugs of tea.

Why did the media not say this eight years ago? Possibly because the chattering classes can't bear to be thought of as Tories and possibly because they had one eye on the honours list.