Alistair Darling in Plymouth

A largely uneventful Monday began a largely uneventful week, although in the afternoon I did get the chance to shake hands and observe a face-to-face interview with the Trade Secretary, Alistair Darling.

He was in town to kick-start Plymouth Enterprise Week - a joint initiative between local government and the technological, industrial and commercial sectors - designed to promote the city as a centre of innovation. His was a flying visit to the Tamar Science Park, where he was scheduled (down to the minute) to meet various managing directors, project leaders and executives of companies that had been successful in both producing exportable products and raising the profile of the local economy. Liz Parks, the Business Reporter at the Evening Herald, invited me along to shadow her as she chased an interview.

10am, and we stood in a reception foyer as part of a growing press corps. Opposite us was the official welcoming party, consisting of the Tamar's chairman, his head of marketing, two prominent local MPs and their people. There was plenty of handshaking.

"They're like flies around a piece of shit," muttered a business reporter from the Western Morning News (Devon and Cornwall), commenting on the sizable entourage that swept through the door, behind Darling. (It turned out he had an axe to grind, and was gearing up for a confrontational interview). Together they really did appear as gangsters, complete with all the cliches: A sharp eyed young PR coordinator shouted into his executive mobile phone, a beautiful, olive-skinned personal secretary with immaculate hair and shining jewelry stood silently to one side, ready to second guess her boss's every movement. The two MPs began fawning, clamouring for attention, desperate to ensure that the New Labour machine in London (personified by this silver-tonged, permatanned Scot) did not forget about its provincial ambassadors.

Photographers scurried, hanging from railings and kneeling down, looking for angles and snapping. The minister acknowledged the reporters last of all. He seemed to loosen up momentarily as he waved.

"Hi everyone," he called out. "I've only got time to speak to you briefly afterwards, is that alright?"

The tour was going to last an hour. We were content to join the train and follow their lead.

The scrum squeezed through the complex to pay the planned visits. These included an engineering form that was developing health monitors for babies and a technology research company that was pioneering techniques of 3D rendering on resin. At each presentation, Darling demonstrated deep understanding and interest, engaging in conversation as the group around him scribbled notes, played with PDAs, changed lenses, relayed messages and so on.

Incredible, the political animal. Forever on the move, chained to The Party, micro-managed down to the smallest behaviour, demanding, always engaging but never engaged. When a difficult question or criticism arose, it was deflected almost subliminally. Craftsmanship, maybe, but it's easy to imagine that professional politicians are born, not made.

At interview, Darling was amiable, but vacant. As he rattled through a clutch of prepared answers, I was surprised that Liz didn't push him further, perhaps question his opinion on the proposals for Devonport (the ancient harbour was under threat of downgrading, threatening the oldest industry in Plymouth). Instead, questions were limited to - "Do you like Plymouth?", "What are your impressions of today?", "What are your priorities?", lines of enquiry which invited political tact, not the truth.

She told me afterwards that, as time was limited, she couldn't risk deflections. A printable quote was, after all, the goal. I discovered later that the reporter from the Western Morning News, who challenged him over job cuts in Cornwall food production, was discourteously rebuffed and came away with nothing.

Journalism at this level is thus something of a balancing act; between editorial freedom and freedom of access. No new lesson there, but when you see it all played out in front of you, the politician's effectiveness in turning the press into a tool for his own publicity is still surprising.

Plenty of lessons still to learn.