Now more than ever, with increasingly far-right groups employing dog-whistle campaigns based on myths and received wisdom, this is the case; whether it's possible to reassert the value of facts and truth I don't know, but in an age where increasing numbers of people get their views from the echo chamber of the internet, it's important to try.

Tony Blair's centre ground campaign's main focus will be hard policy answers to issues such as stagnating wages, immigration, anti-elitism and attitudes to globalisation. With a little financial backing from a certain Richard Branson. You couldn't make it up.

Nothing much wrong with the policy ideas but, Blair will never be forgiven for his part in the middle east conflict, a mess, which is going to take generations to remedy, if it ever can be remedied.