Are there any honest insurers?

IN a week when the world's leaders stood shoulder-to-shoulder in defence of freedom of expression, you might get the impression that British politicians take part in pre-election debates out of some deep-rooted commitment to openness, transparency and all that stuff. Fat chance.

THE only reason a politician debates on the telly is if he, or she, believes it will improve their chance of winning. David Cameron has done the sums. He sees no advantage in sharing a platform with Messrs Miliband, Clegg, Farage and the rest. End of.

IN any case, who says TV debates clarify anything? The most significant event of the 2010 General Election debates was the emergence of Nick Clegg from the obscurity of Lib-Demmery into the dazzling limelight of proper, grown-up politics. And didn't he shine? Didn't he look the very image of the steadfast, principled political giant? When Nick solemnly pledged not to introduce student tuition fees, you knew by his straight back and thrusting chin that he would be true to his word. Oh, yes.

WITH much regret, I realise the 2015 General Election is unlikely to bring the day of glory I experienced in the 1997 campaign. In the space of a few hours I was chucked out of John Prescott's media briefing by some party goon, before I'd even asked a question, and was later refused a ride on his battlebus. So proud.

MEANWHILE, I despair of some of my fellow hacks, including the contributor to the journalism website Hold The Front Page who, in the wake of the Paris killings, emailed : "This deadly assault was an attack on freedom and liberty, the right to express views, thoughts and ideas no matter how irreverent, and every single journalist all over the world should support those noble ideals." Some journalists really ought to get out more and discover that our culture of putting the rights of the individual above everything else is only one philosophy among many. The idea that we have a right to express views "no matter how irreverent" would baffle the Japanese, horrify most Muslims and be regarded in China as dangerous anarchy. We live in a changing world and while we need not tiptoe too meekly, we should not try to stamp our values on other cultures. The 21st century will be either a century of compromise or mankind's last century.

CARE to guess what happened when an American man surprised his wife with breakfast in bed, accidentally setting off the burglar alarm at their North Carolina home? No prizes. Tiffany Segule, 27, shot him through the closed bedroom door. Thankfully, he was not seriously hurt. So that's Eggs American-style. Sunny side up with extra lead.

WHAT is Direct Line thinking of, using the Winston Wolf (Harvey Keitel ) character from Pulp Fiction to front its latest advertising campaign? Wolf is a crook, a fixer, a "cleaner" (assassin) and an associate of thugs. Call me old-fashioned but I'd prefer to buy my car insurance from somebody honest.

ASSUMING, that is, there are any honest insurers left. A reader tells me a couple of days ago she received a renewal note for her car insurance, increasing it from £195 this year to £237 for next year – a rise of more than 20 per cent. She rang for an explanation. The nice lady on the phone told her she was a valued and loyal customer and, without a shred of embarrassment, promptly dropped the demand to £191.