Last week, Tony Blair came under pressure to admit that the £35m of "cuts" in Tory spending plans weren't cuts at all.

Today, we have the Conservatives quoting a rise in violent crime in Oxford -- only to be told the figures apply to the whole Thames Valley and do not compare like with like.

And the General Election hasn't even been called yet!

Of course, there has always been cut and thrust in politics, particularly at election time.

But you sense there's something wrong when the Chief Constable of Thames Valley thinks it fit to intervene and warn politicians not to indulge in unethical "slanging" matches.

Voters will, in due course, make up their own minds about politicians' claims.

But the politicians should resist any temptation to massage figures to suit their own purposes.