High summer in Britain is dubbed the silly season by the media because of the number of bizarre stories that fill the pages.

The reality is that, with Parliament in recess, the media's reliable source of news fodder is missing and so it has to dig deeper for stories. Tales that would normally have never seen the light of day suddenly take on great prominence.

Amid the wacky weather stories, performing pets and obscure shaped vegetables, the Prime Minister's vacation has helped fill this summer's void.

If Number 10 thought it could muzzle the newshounds by insisting that Mr Blair's holiday destination be kept secret "for security reasons" it was mistaken. Instead, the papers turned it into a "Where in the world?" competition, publishing a series of photos of the Prime Minister and friends in jovial mood and offering tantalising clues as to where he was.

Madame Tussauds joined in the fun by adorning its waxwork of Mr Blair with an Hawaiian shirt and knotted hankie.

In a bizarre twist, the Prime Minister's office then lifted the "destination" embargo to allow newspapers to report that Mr Blair had attended a memorial for war veterans on the Caribbean island of Barbados.

I think the Prime Minister was very badly advised over this whole nonsense. George Bush made no such fuss over his holiday plans and no other British Prime Minister has banned the media from reporting on their holiday destination and many of them have been terrorist targets.

Instead of a one-day wonder, it turned into a week-long farce with the justifiable accusation that the PM cannot have it both ways - privacy and publicity on his terms.

Tony Blair is at his best when he is his own man, speaking his mind without manipulation from spin doctors. The classic example of this was his reaction to Britain's recent success in gaining the 2012 Olympics and the tragedy of the London bombings. On both occasions he spoke passionately and from the heart. I suspect with minimum interference from advisors.

Over the years I've turned down numerous photo suggestions, including holding babies, standing with a pint of beer, tucking into a large cream cake and wearing various hats.

I also have personal experience of how, sometimes, Labour Party advisors lose touch with reality.

On the eve of the 1997 election, Mr Blair, then Opposition leader, came to visit Middlesbrough police with the actress and supporter Helen Mirren. A Labour Party spin doctor suggested I refer to Ms Mirren as "Ma'am" when meeting her in reference to her role as a police chief in the TV series Prime Suspect. No doubt the advisor saw this as a good "hook" to guarantee press exposure. I politely told him where to put his hook.

The public are not stupid. They can see through a stunt and don't like being taken for a ride.

In addition, the media can regurgitate photos at any time if it suits their purpose. How hypocritical would you appear if, when you call upon others to adopt a healthy eating regime, the accompanying file picture shows you tucking into a cream cake?

Advice is fine, it's worth taking into consideration, but you have to be happy with your decision and live with the consequences - if not you cheat not only yourself but the public as well.