Well isn’t that just absolutely fabulous?

As the world goes to hell in a handcart (with, some would say, the UK helping to pull it along) it seems the people of Britain are happy to trust the future of their country to Purdy from The New Avengers and that buck-toothed woman with a penchant for funny shaped vegetables.

Yep, not content with Patsy from Ab Fab embarrassing the Government over its stance on the Gurkhas (kukri knives, sweety), now Esther Rantzen has decided she wants to be an MP.

And with that statement we, at long last, slip into the inevitable state of celebrity taking over the world.

The simple fact is, people don’t trust politicians any more.

And who can blame them? Look at the economy. Look at crime. Look – today of all days – at Afghanistan. Why should we trust these people?

But the fact is people also don’t care about the people who really matter in this world.

There are people fighting to cure cancer, working to take men to Mars and campaigning to end world poverty.

But unless they are pretty and/or can sing and want to talk to Jonathan Ross about it no-one gives two hoots.

Witness Michael Jackson. A great entertainer, possibly, but nothing more than that. Compare the hysteria surrounding his passing with that of Harry Patch – a hero most of the MTV generation will have forgotten about by the end of this week (if not the end of this sentence).

Is it any wonder this country is such a mess when our history means so little to us?

No-one cares about the real people working hard to make this world a better place.

They want instant fixes and have become so sucked in to the TV diet that they believe actors and presenters are the characters they appear to be on television.

I’m not saying Joanna Lumley hasn’t done a wonderful thing on behalf of the Gurkhas, but what about Peter Carroll?

Who?

Exactly. He is the Gurkha Justice campaigner travelling with Lumley and has done as much – if not more – than Sapphire from Sapphire and Steel has. But even he said he expected to be completely overshadowed by Ms Lumley.

And I’m not saying Esther Rantzen won’t be a good MP if elected. But talking about consumer issues on the telly and setting up a charity (albeit a very worthy charity) are not qualifications for representing the views of millions.

It’s about time we started celebrating the work of people who are trying to make a difference in this world, rather than the vacuous, blood-sucking celebs we currently put on pedestals.

But I know what you’re thinking.

That’s Life.