Ed Miliband has just sacked Britain’s most accomplished black politician, Diane Abbott

This might, on the face of it, seem an outrageous thing to say, but I think it’s a shame that Diane Abbott has been booted out of her role as Shadow Health Minister by Miliband II.  Much though she can rile with all that whining victim business, not to mention the occasional spurt of hilarious hypocrisy, she is one of Labour’s more formidable speakers and is easily the most accomplished black politician the country has, Chuka notwithstanding. She also, when not being hypocritical, tends to act out of principle, even if it is not usually a principle with which many of you lot would agree.

Her policy instincts are usually in the right place, too. She was certainly my second choice, after Andy Burnham, for leader – and together I thought they were doing rather a good job at Health. I suppose she’ll be back on the bloody sofa flirting with Portaloo now. The qualities which make her a good commentator are partly those which make her (I would have thought) an indispensable member of the shadow cab team – it’s not as if the party is overburdened with talent.

No, I’m not on drugs or pissed.