I'M sure you all recall the fanfare that accompanied new Labour's ascent to power during the 1997 election victory: "Things Can Only Get Better".

Well, as he surveys the debris of a week of disaster for the party, Tony Blair might well reflect that things can hardly get much worse.

Dealing first with John Prescott. As far as I'm concerned his extra-marital affair is a personal matter and nothing to do with the public.

Moving on to Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt. When I watch her addressing audiences on television she always comes over as rather condescending, as if she is a school matron ticking off infants.

That said, the delegates at the Royal College of Nursing conference behaved like naughty schoolchildren when Mrs Hewitt was called to the rostrum. The mob mentality took over, shouting, stamping and slow hand clapping.

I may not like the Health Secretary's style, but I did admire the way she was prepared to face the crowd and answer their questions - when allowed to.

I don't think she should resign and I don't think it's the Health Secretary alone who should be facing all the flak. In any particular area it is the local health trust that is responsible for running hospitals. The Government has provided funding increases to these Trusts in recent years but the way they have spent the money has not met with universal approval.

The impression I gained from my recent stay in hospital was that staff feel the Government has provided more money to the trusts but this has been swallowed up by management and bureaucracy rather than filtered down to the wards where it can be most effective.

Trust managers are well paid and should not be allowed to hide in the shadows. They should follow the example of the Health Secretary, stand up, face the public and media and answer their questions.

And so to the third minister under fire this week: Home Secretary Charles Clarke.

I have to say that Mr Clarke and his somewhat robotic manner do not instil me with any confidence. He seems to have lost his way completely. After the debacle of foreign criminals being allowed just to slip back into society instead of being deported, I'm amazed Mr Clarke is still in his job.

The worst aspect of all this is that the potential problem was pointed out to Clarke many months ago, but since then a further 288 foreign inmates have been released rather than face deportation. They include killers, muggers and sex offenders and no-one seems to be sure where they are.

Some time ago I asked a senior police officer what defences were in place to prevent foreign criminals establishing a criminal network in this country having gained admittance on the pretext of asylum.

From the officer's blank expression it was clear the problem hadn't even been considered. Now there must be serious concern that foreign criminals allowed to stay in Britain could be setting up just such a network.

There must be a real danger that released prisoners who should have been deported have instead committed further serious crimes in this country. On this and other issues Mr Clarke's position has become untenable. He has lost the confidence of the public and he should go now.