David Blunkett, the home secretary, felt like celebrating with a stiff drink when he heard of the death of the serial killer Harold Shipman, it emerged yesterday.
"You wake up and you receive a phone call telling you that Shipman has topped himself," he said in a frank conversation with regional journalists. "And you think, 'Is it too early to open a bottle?'"
"Then you discover that everybody's really upset that he's done it. So you have to be very cautious in this job, very careful."
[...]The Liberal Democrat's home affairs spokesman, Mark Oaten, criticised Mr Blunkett's wish to celebrate. "Many families of Harold Shipman's victims were devastated to learn of his suicide," he said. "Now they will never know why he killed their mum or granny or brother or sister.
"Mr Blunkett has nothing to celebrate in the fact that the prison service is incapable of detaining people properly for their crimes, and has an appalling suicide record. Mr Blunkett should put his cork back in the bottle."
Source: Guardian
Now, I'm no fan of David Blunkett but even I think his comments are completely innocuous.
Blunkett has admitted to his initial feelings about the suicide of Britain's most prolific serial killer. And then he realises that is is inappropriate to think this way because it has robbed the victims' families of an explanation or motive.
Big deal. Is it a slow news day?