Former ministers - worth their premium?

The usual excellent backbiting stuff from Private Eye this month, running a typically sardonic eye over the less savoury elements of the UK public affairs crowd.

Receiving ire this time is the employment of former Ministers within political consultancies - David Jamieson and Ivor Caplin in this case, who both held Cabinet posts before resigning in 2005 to join Golden Arrow Communications and Foresight Communications respectively.

But in a twist on the normal complaint, Private Eye does not attack on the grounds that former MPs are using former contacts to get preferential treatment for their clients. Rather, it claims they aren't actually very good at it.

And when the likes of Jamieson are being a paid a reported £250 per hour for their services to clients, it raises an important question to be considered by all consultancies considering the appointment of a former member of the House. Ethical elements notwithstanding, is it really worth it?