The Consequences of 'Guacamoling' Mandelson

Many of you you have cheered when seeing Peter Mandelson 'guacamoled' by a Heathrow protester. But what if it had been acid? No one would be laughing then. Politicians have been 'custard pied' through the ages. But I have always thought it was the refuge of someone who has lost the argument. Beyond provoking acres of media coverage, in which the ostensible aim is often hidden by the lurid pictures, such acts achieve nothing except make politicians withdraw into their shell. No doubt Mandelson's security detail, which seemed very absent here, will also be beefed up and it is we, the taxpayers, who will inevitably foot the bill.