James Purnell  

Exits are the hardest thing to get right in politics. James Purnell's seems sadder than most. I used to get on well with James. He has a very dry humour that would often help us get through stressful days in the government whips office.  Then I resigned in September 2006. Since then we've hardly shared a sentence, let alone a joke.   It's a situation I regret. When he resigned last year, I felt great empathy for James.   He wouldn't have appreciated my thoughts at the time but it's a very lonely thing when you voluntarily leave government, even when the exit is on good terms.   And James, like me, did not leave on good terms. He would have felt miserable and lonely. In the heat of the media crucible, colleagues use harsh language and say things they shouldn't. Though you know it's not really meant, it still hurts. I felt the same for Siobhain McDonagh when...