What if . . . . . ?

The news lately has been about the language employed by Andrew Mitchell towards the policemen who were guarding Downing Street and it seems that the word "pleb" was considered  far more offensive than the attached swearword. What a strange world we live in when swearwords no longer seem to offend and have almost become part of everyday language.
We also have had the case of David Mellor ranting at a taxi-driver and it seems that this wasn't the first occasion when he had done something like this.
Now if these had been unimportant people, it would still have been wrong, but one was a senior politician in the present government, the other had held a senior posts in a previous government.

These are people who might have easily represented this country at international meetings in the presence of world leaders and the world media. What would people think of this country if one of our politicians, one of our representatives, lost his temper and launched a foul-mouthed tirade at some unfortunate underling, or perhaps worse, one of the other delegates.

Let's stretch our imagination a bit further. Suppose either of them by some mischance had managed to become Prime Minister at a time when international relations with, say Russia, were at an all time low. Imagine one of their fingers on the nuclear button, and Putin saying something disagreeable on the phone. Losing his temper, he announces that he is going to fix that F----ing Russian for once and for all and presses the button.

Perhaps I've got too much imagination, but however you look at it, people who can't control their temper and abuse subordinates should never be allowed anywhere near government.