Words Dept.: entry

James Purnell. You know, the “sideburned schmoozer”, as the Sunday Telegraph calls him. Apparently he’s resigned from the Cabinet.

But think about it. Was this bloke ever actually in the Cabinet? We’re toldhe was work and pensions secretary. Was he? I think we’re taking a hell of a lot at face value here. I never recall actually seeing James Purnell and his sideburns on the telly, talking about work and pensions, or indeed anything else.

In fact, all I know about James Purnell is that he once appeared in a photo that had been doctored in Photoshop, which made him look like he was hanging out with a gang of NHS bureaucrats when actually he wasn’t. Then he accidentally left some secret papers on a train. (Not sure why he had these papers in the first place, since he doesn’t appear to really have been in the Cabinet.) All in all, it’s not much of a career.

Anyway. Here’s a photo of James Purnell (right). Or possibly a badly Photoshopped composite image. Of him.

Image: BBC