I've never been a fan of Gordon Brown (just look at the sorry state of the economy), and I don't think civil servants in the MoD should be paid large bonuses in these difficult times, but I sympathise with the PM over the recent brouhaha surrounding the error-laden letter of condolence sent to Jaqui Janes, whose son, Jamie Janes, was killed in Afghanistan.

I've read past reports suggesting that the PM could be dyslexic, and similar suggestions re-emerged in the wake of the Janes letter. Mr Brown's impermeable handwriting and misspellings of various words could suggest a prime-ministerial cover-up of this complaint, which affects around six million people in the UK.

From a PR point of view, the tabloids' attack on Brown over "misspelled lettergate" did them no great favours and only served to show Brown in a light that was lively to evoke sympathy - from some sections of the public, at least. You can understand how a bereaved mother, who looks so proud of her guardsman son in recently published photos, might lash out at the nearest target: in this case, Mr Brown and his handwritten letter. You can also understand that spelling mistakes could be found offensive under the circumstances and could compel a person to convey a grief-stricken rant through the UK media, while tying in the errors with the suggestion that more equipment is needed for the troops. However, this doesn't excuse the tabloid press making such a meal of the story, especially if they are aware of the dyslexia suggestions. Most notably, 'The Sun' delighted in publishing a transcript of Mr Brown's apologetic phone call to Mrs Janes, in an attempt to score points against the PM, to whom it has recently dropped its allegiance.

The fuss over this story and the recent revelations about Mr Brown's baby daughter, who died of a brain hemorrhage aged just a few days old, depicted the tabloids as insensitive (surprise surprise)and Mr Brown as trying to be a decent chap, rather than showing him in a terrible light, as was the obvious intention. The Sun shot itself in the foot here.

Really, the 'red tops' should be ashamed of themselves for capitalising on a mother's grief in this way - not that they have any shame. I bet Mrs Janes wishes she had held fire on her very public complaint. At least the PM made the effort to pen a letter by hand, rather than asking his PA to type it, as would often be the case these days. In my opinion, the personal touch goes a long way in an era when everything is oh-so-impersonal. If anyone won PR 'Brownie points' from this sad story, it was Mr Brown rather than his tabloid critics.

Even if more equipment is needed in Afghanistan and the government is at fault and should withdraw the troops, criticising the PM's handwriting isn't the right way to highlight this issue.