If you've ever wondered why every other advert on the radio emenates from some government department telling you how they think you should live your life. If it has ever struck you that you are seeing more and more sick scaremongering TV ads designed to terrify motorists, this is why.
Phil Taylor has crunched the numbers. 2009 figures show that Labour frittered away £540m on advertising, up nearly a half on the previous year, a spend which is five times that of 1997 when Labour first got their grubby mitts on the purse strings.
Nannying, hectoring and blind ideological righteousness have never been more costly.
