Politicians are still courting the media Last year, Martin Kettle covered the US elections in Washington. Coming back to Britain to cover the general election after four years' reporting from America, the first thing I notice is not the spin doctors or the control freaks. It's the politicians themselves. You can actually get to them.
All journalists complain, and British political journalists complain as much as any.
The complaint here is that it has become more difficult to get close to politicians at election time. I'm sure that is true in relative terms. But compared with an American election, it's still a doddle - and long may it remain so. With the right accreditation, it is possible to turn up at one of the morning press conferences that take place most days in London, and ask a leading politician a question and then a follow-up. Private access is not too difficult either.