We liked him when he hit that guy in front of reporters. We liked him when he was outed as owning two Jaguar cars. We liked him when Tory MPs shouted "Gin and tonic please" every time he stood up in the House of Commons, in reference to his previous profession as a steward on a ferry. We liked him when he closeted himself away with several coaches so that he could face David Cameron at the dispatch box, and then triumphed with some unrehearsed jokes. We like a trier. We like an ordinary bloke. We particularly liked him when, in the post mortem of the British declaration of war on Iraq, a civil servant characterised his contribution to top-level crisis meetings as "Prescott turning up and asking bloody stupid questions".

The British people like him too. He is used in a shameless manner to cover a lot of Blairite tracks. Wheeled out in the cash for peerages scandal.

Sent to commiserate with the widow of David Kelly after she had sent Geoff Hoon running for the gate.

He is the acceptable face of Old Labour. He would not be in cabinet at all unless Blair and the spinners had decided that they could not possibly do without him.

Now he has been outed, not so much as Two Jags as . . . excuse me . . . Two Shags. His affair with a civil servant in his office is undeniable, especially since he was photographed at a party with her legs round his neck (see last Thursday's tabloids).

The Tory press has characterised this as " a lurid affair", as if there were any other kind. Poor Mrs Prescott, who is famous for needing one of the Jaguars to drive her along the seafront at Labour party conferences so that her hair would not be exposed to the elements, has been shown attending several public events and sitting innocently beside the aide in question. We like Mrs Prescott too. At least she doesn't spend £8,000 on a hairdresser.

Last week's revelations are all most unfortunate, but it would be a brave person indeed who would argue that Mr Prescott's behaviour is unusual, or even surprising, in politics. Mr Blair has said that Mr Prescott's behaviour is a private matter . . . he must be wishing that it had stayed that way.

The energy and intelligence that went into making New Labour appealing to the British people has not rendered it appetising to the British pubic.

Mr Prescott does not seem to try very hard to make people like him . . . apart from always shaking hands with doormen when going into public buildings, which we like very much as well. Yet he seems very popular, perhaps because he appears to be human.

In this way, he is rather like the Queen. British analysts have never really understood how much the British people like the Queen, whatever about her rather unappealing children. In the media age, the public's relationships with famous people they have never met is a mystery. There is no rational explanation as to why we always smile when we see John Prescott on television . . . or maybe there is now . . . but it is a strong response in people who are never going to have an opportunity to vote for him, let alone meet him.

Therefore, it is hard to see how John Prescott can be dumped by Tony Blair, even allowing for a forthcoming reshuffle. The sympathy is going to be with Mrs Prescott, with a few rueful smiles for John. A middle aged couple where the husband has been an eejit . . . who cannot identify with that? If the two of them went on Richard and Judy, everyone on two islands would watch in awe.

Imagine Judy interviewing Mrs Prescott, would that be great television or what?

Tony Blair has worked very hard to appear to be an ordinary bloke. John Prescott is an ordinary bloke. There is a world of difference. And if it all goes wrong for him, there will still be a house in Dublin "I would imagine there will be several houses . . . where people would be very glad to entertain him in his retirement.