"Tits On Page Three"

I'm usually fairly happy when I get to work on a Friday morning, because, well, it's Friday. Not only that, but my firm does a staff morning tea on Fridays and (yes, this will sound tragic) I get to stuff my face with loads of those nice pastries that will probably one day stop my heart from beating.

But today things started out bad. I got the Herald from the letterbox (don't worry - I wouldn't pay for it, it's a work perk) and almost immediately threw up on the front page. And then I got mad. So I had a cup of tea and was still mad.

I drove to work and stayed mad. I'm not quite as mad as I was an hour or so ago, and the prospect of consuming an enormous number of mini mince pies in a couple of hours has cheered me somewhat.

So what's the big deal? I was fuming over the headline.

If you don't actually read the article below it (which is reasonably fair and balanced), you immediately get the impression that our politicians are taking the piss, are robbing us, and are just out to loot the public purse.

That's not why I was mad. I've learned never to trust a Herald headline, so I wasn't fuming at our politicians. What angered me was the blatant and deliberate attempt by our largest newspaper to mislead its readers.

The measure proposed actually sounds sensible. Work out what the approximate cash value of MPs' perks are and, instead of allowing them to claim the perks, just give them the cash instead. It's simpler, easier to understand and involves less administration. Some MPs will be winners (those who don't travel much on personal business), and others will be losers.

But that's not the story the Herald chose to run. And why the picture of Key looking like a dopey clown?

The tabloidisation of the Herald continues to gather pace. Soon they'll be reducing the page size.