Egos are pathetically puffed by crowd flattery. Thus, the boy Boris can be conned by the mischievous into attempting to dwarf the man David.

Which is a more alarming scenario? Rule by the people who wield seismic power over us in the media, or rule by all those unsuspecting puppets in public life, paid by us, who are up for grabs as the media’s playthings? Tempting to feel sorry for Boris, blissfully unaware of the traps being laid for him by the puppeteers who will not bear the brunt of his future downfall. Tragic, but only if Boris really represented a heroic figure. His particular arrogance is not the same fatal flaw as the doomed pride at the heart of Greek drama, however. He plays the role of the treacherous Iago just a bit too easily. David Cameron might well have expected more convincingly supportive endorsements from the golden one he has praised and trusted as a friend. But when did the prime minister last find time to ponder the lessons of betrayal both men studied in classical literature? Not the first time he has misplaced his trust.

An extraordinary gift to entertain adds to the gaiety of nations, especially while Boris struts the stage of London as Mayor. But charisma alone does not qualify even that big beast for the role of serving as Prime Minister, a vocation for unequivocally selfless leadership.

Jonathan Ross, abetted by his celebrity gang, has played his own suave games with an outwardly relaxed and cool Boris. Predictably, the TV host’s disgrace and eviction from the BBC channel which formerly hired him have not done his career noticeable harm. After a sufficient absence for the fickle public to forget and forgive, or just no longer want to be bothered to protest, the pitilessly vile chat show presenter, J.Ross, is plying his trade again. It is a mark of the London mayor’s folly, and unsuitability to lead a government, that he cannot see why he should have avoided sharing any screen with such a bloatingly overpaid creature of Vanity. Comparison between the two men’s character weaknesses might not bear too close a scrutiny.