WILLIAM Hague's stature has all but shrivelled away this past week. That is quite a feat considering he was a political pygmy in the first place. The incredible shrinking man is now such a lightweight that he has floated off his bandwagon and dropped into the gutter. Unlike Oscar Wilde, he is not looking at the stars. He is staring down the drain. Soon he will be flushed into the sewer of political history.

You see, the British people demand certain qualities from their potential Prime Ministers. Mr Hague is struggling to meet any of them.

Some things he can do little about. Being bald is one of them. Voters aren't keen on exposed domes, whether atop Greenwich or above the Conservative Party leader's eyebrows.

He has brought most of his problems on himself, however. We all do stupid things as teenagers but addressing the Tory Party conference at 16 was unforgivable. The image of that smug, spit-faced pipsqueak, pumping out bile to the clamouring mob remains indelible. How can we forget it, when he is still doing the same routine today?

We still think of Mr Hague as the school swot because he is the least mature political leader since Pitt the Younger's baby brother. Oh, he is very clever, in a lower sixth, school debating society sort of way. Some of his jokes have even made me laugh.

But the British do not particularly cherish a sense of humour in their leaders: that's why they elected Mrs Thatcher. People want a statesman as Prime Minister, not Jimmy Krankie.

Mr Hague's allies say look at his positive qualities: his ability to fight from the front, his Yorkshire intractability.

But even this tactic doesn't work. No one disputes that Mr Hague likes to pick a fight: in fact he is wont to lash out at anyone or anything, like an angry drunk with a broken bottle.

And when he does genuinely hurt innocent individuals, he is too intractable - or stupid - to backtrack and apologise.

After being condemned by both the fathers of Stephen Lawrence and Damilola Taylor, you might have expected even Mr Hague to have had the sensitivity to apologise. Oh no, not him, not the 14-pint drinking Yorkshire hard-man of clich.

He compounded his mistake by immediately suggesting that a Labour Government would mean more tragic deaths like that of Damilola. This is a crass suggestion even for a politician as inept and opportunist as William Hague.

Mr Hague says he is determined to raise awareness of the negative effects of the Macpherson report on police officers. Nothing wrong with that. But what he has done is twist that report beyond recognition in order to appeal to white, middle class middle England, which the Tory leader still believes is quaking at the thought of multi-culturalism.

Just as Mr Hague never thought to send his condolences to Damilola's family, he has never expressed support for the innocent black and Asian people who were being stopped and searched dozens of times by racist police officers in London and elsewhere. Yes, police morale has been affected by Macpherson, but the morale of these victims was pretty much shattered too. What Macpherson said needed saying.

No doubt Mr Hague will have been buoyed by George W Bush's victory in the States. And although the thought of President Bush II does not fill me with similar optimism, he could certainly teach Mr Hague a thing or two about multi-culturalism.

Among Mr Bush's early appointments were Condoleezza Rice, who became the first black national security adviser, Colin Powell, the first black secretary of state, and Hispanic judge Alberto Gonzales as White House counsel.

Compare that to the 23-strong British shadow cabinet. Twenty white men, three white women. No wonder Mr Hague's advice on race issues is so shaky.