Politics is important. The size, cost and power of the State mean that no-one can afford to ignore or take lightly the question of who runs the country. However, politicians must also do their best to limit the collateral damage that occurs when they battle for supremacy.
There is a danger that the titanic battle of a General Election could come to resemble a fight between King Kong and Godzilla - that both sides become so engrossed in defeating each other that they fail to notice that they are laying waste to the city around them.
I fear that the latest furore around allegations of bullying in No 10 is just such a disaster. Something really important has been wrecked as a result of the political tussle.
Don't get me wrong - it is certainly important and deeply concerning if the Prime Minister has been bullying his staff. However, the decision of the National Bullying Helpline's Chief Executive to reveal that Downing Street staff have called the Helpline is a serious error that will do lasting harm to many people.
It is a fundamental principle of these helplines - from the Samaritans to University Night Lines - that they are utterly confidential. Only if people know that no-one will ever stand any chance of finding out about their call will they feel able to phone in. That confidentiality even extends in many cases to the phone operators themselves concealing the truth about their work or volunteer activities - lest a friend or family member be put off phoning for support for fear that they will be put through to someone they know.
The actions of the NBH's Christine Pratt have shattered this confidentiality with regard to her own organisation. She did not name the people involved, but she did just about everything else. Even if the callers can't be personally identified from her comments, it is safe to say that the boss-worker relationship is probably even more unpleasant in No 10 this morning than it was when the calls were originally made.
Worse, if anyone out there - in Downing Street or any other workplace - is feeling bullied themselves, they will now think twice before picking up the phone. The concern will now be live in people's minds that if one helpline can behave in this way, then others can do.
It may have made some good headlines, but Ms Pratt's intervention has shattered something crucial to large numbers of vulnerable people. I can't help but feel she has burned something incredibly valuable just to warm up politics for a day.
