It should have come as no surprise that George Lee would expect those living in Dublin South to want him as their newest TD. All of this just seems to be a means to an end because, as he pointed out on Tuesday, he is "paying a big price in leaving RTE" and is not doing so "in order to sit on the backbenches".

George Lee's statement was revealing: "As danger loomed I consistently highlighted the risks of inaction and complacency. These warnings were ignored. Instead the government chose to portray them as an effort to talk down the economy. The damage done to the economic and social fabric of our country is devastating. I have absolutely no confidence at all that the people who led us into this economic catastrophe are capable of leading us out. Ireland needs an alternative. This is a time for change.

"It is a time for people like me to play a bigger part in trying to fix the things that have gone wrong and getting (sic) the country back on its feet. It is time for me to take on a different role. I believe that Fine Gael is the political party best placed to provide the leadership and vision that the country desperately needs."

Clearly George is going to be no less bashful in politics than he was during his journalistic career.

George may well believe in Enda Kenny but he believes even more in George. After all, in his time as an economics commentator, he had warned not just the public but the government and "these warnings were ignored" with dire consequences because "the damage done to the economic and social fabric is devastating."

This then is the most serious indictment of Cowen's first year in power that he failed to heed George Lee and now he must deal - in electoral terms - with the consequence. I have no particular liking for this government. I have criticised its lack of innovation and drive and I have focused on the inept performance of some of its members. I have also pointed out that nothing that has emerged from the opposition benches in the past year is markedly different when stripped bare of the usual political hyperbole.

There appears to be a complete lack of frankness and honesty within the political system. The general public is concerned if not a little frightened by the scale of the economic haemorrhage. The public does need leadership but if Lee believes that this would be delivered simply by a change in government he is mistaken. We want our politicians to behave differently, be more respectful of each other, recognise the scale of the global problem of which we are but one small part and get to work on meaningful solutions rather than engage in the standard guerrilla warfare. George Lee's first political utterances suggest he has missed this point entirely.

The nature of his entry to politics meant he entered the political world in the manner of those whose performance he has critiqued for almost two decades. Lee is, of course, correct that the Fianna Fail dominated governments have failed us in recent years but his RTE analysis over the same period was so trenchant and unbalanced that for many it appeared to fail the objectivity test. This is a problem or at least it should be for RTE.

Lee enjoyed great access to all RTE's news programmes and some months ago he was given his own series to present his view on the cause of our economic woes. It is staggering that a high profile reporter with the national broadcaster could be allowed resign to become involved in a Dail by-election within a month.

RTE's rules should prohibit such a move. This is not to deny Enda Kenny and Frank Flannery credit for their coup. It was Fianna Failesque in its daring and execution and has a great chance of success. It is a bit rich though that Fine Gael, so high on standards, would consider it appropriate that a high profile national broadcaster - a public servant - would continue to critique government performance while at the same time be negotiating with the main opposition party about entering the electoral politics. It is clear RTE's regulations are not sufficiently robust.

Nor are Fine Gael's standards as high as it might claim and legitimate questions arise for Lee himself about whether he ever considered that his objectivity was compromised from the moment he first engaged with Fine Gael.

He says that he only decided to move following Brian Lenihan's April budget which means that by then he had already been approached by Fine Gael.

In his previous life the question George Lee the journalist would have posed of George Lee the politician is whether in such circumstances his editor should have been informed of his dilemma.

It would seem that would have been the correct course to take as an accommodation could have been reached that would have allowed him to perform desk work away from the studio and public commentary on the government until he had reached his final decision.

It would be understandable if those with a cynical view of politicians - and I am not of that tribe - were to believe that George Lee, by his approach, is suited to what is a widely discredited profession.

It is to be hoped that his apparent failure to pursue the right course as he deliberated over the prospective move was more oversight than reflective of his general modus operandi.