THE trouble with the Blairs is that he's the Prime Minister and she's the spouse. Cherie would make a far better PM than Tony. As his wife, she is abandoned to the misogynist wolves of the "woman friendly" Daily Mail.

Yup, her association with a convicted fraudster was a mistake. Yup, her attempted cover-up, backed by Downing Street, was a crass blunder.

But it is worth noting that this whole mess has been inspired by a wholly commendable trait: Cherie's loyalty to her friends. One of them, Carole Caplin, happens to be courting a conman. But not for a moment did Cherie consider ending that friendship, despite the problems it could - and did - cause.

For Fleet Street's fiercest, that is not the point. Having shaken off the twin bridles of perspective and restraint, the tabloid pack see Cherie Blair as easy meat. Whatever she does, they can turn it against her.

She is a brilliant advocate but, because of her sex, she is judged primarily on her appearance. And they have judged her relentlessly, ever since her husband became Labour leader eight years ago.

As a consequence she turned to others for fashion advice, most notably to Carole Caplin. Caplin promotes new age therapies, so Cherie is then attacked for having "weirdo pals" - even though the Daily Mail is forever promoting the latest complementary therapy.

Not surprisingly, Cherie has kept a low political profile. For that, she is condemned as secretive and manipulative.

When she does enter the political fray, as with her comments expressing an intelligent understanding of the plight of Palestinian suicide bombers, the headlines screech: "Who the hell does she think she is?"

Cherie Blair is a great role model for working mothers. But certain newspapermen clearly frown on her combining a hectic career with bringing up four children. They would rather she was as sparrow-like and submissive as homemaker Norma Major, and we know where that got her.

Let's imagine, for a moment, roles were reversed in Number 10.

It is not so far-fetched. Cherie could have excelled at politics. Tony is said to have ratcheted up his interest in the Labour Party when he learned of her passionate commitment to the cause (so we can blame her for that at least).

If she had not given up politics after failing to win a Tory stronghold seat in the 1983 General Election, Cherie would have moved swiftly up through the party. And the rank and file would have embraced her as "one of us". Unlike posh Tony, she comes from a working class background. She does not need to fake an interest in Labour's heartland; she is a part of it. Not for her the swift abandonment of all the party's traditions and foundations.

Cherie is a member of that most overpaid, self-important of professions, the law; but she has used her training to become an impressive battler for the vulnerable and the bullied. We could certainly do with a bit more of that from Tony's middle class-championing New Labour Party.

And she would not have countenanced top-up fees for university students. "It is only because of the reforms brought in by the Attlee government that people from families such as mine have been able to develop their full potential," she once said.

While his wife governed the country, Tony could carry on working. No one would have questioned his decision not to stay at home with the kids.

Alas, it was not to be. Cherie's teenage ambition to be prime minister has long evaporated. She says she has moved from being "the daughter of someone" to "the wife of someone". But she is a someone in her own right: someone to be reckoned with.

Updated: 13:16 Wednesday, December 11, 2002