Birmingham Post

There will be icy looks in the office, withering glances in the school playground, and abusive hand gestures. But I'm used to those. There may also be claims of sexism from the more hysterical members of the sisterhood.

Bear with me, and you will see why such criticisms are misplaced and ill-informed.

This discussion requires context, so I will attempt to provide some. Newspapers love stories about "the final taboo". Incestuous relationships, domestic abuse of male partners, the breast-feeding of near adolescent children - they have all popped up in this editorial slot over the years, satisfying the commissioning editors of women's weekly magazines and glossy Sunday titles alike.

Criticising overtly ambitious women might be the "final taboo" du jour. Two newspaper articles about a subject usually classifies as a "shock new trend," so we're half-way there.

I raise the issue, as ever, because of a serious matter of huge national importance.

Specifically, I am referring to the on-going hoo-ha over the expulsion of the undeniably "leggy" former gymnast Gabby Logan from the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing show. There was, we are told, outrage among the judges when Gabby found herself voted off the prime-time programme.

The sports presenter and sometimes clothes horse is nifty on her pins, although her "titty jiggle" (sorry, I don't know the technical term) wasn't a great moment. She may have an accomplished samba, but it didn't cut the mustard with the voting public. Gabby found herself in a sudden-death dance-off with the even more "leggy" Penny Lancaster.

Now statuesque Penny is no doubt ambitious, but she is a tad more discreet about it. Ambition exudes from Gabby's pores and is a little scary. She was duly booted off.

Gabby declared herself "shocked" and "gutted." The defeat left her feeling "empty and directionless". The rest of us felt nothing but relief. All that drive, it's so un-English.

The judges - and, one suspects, Gabs - were taken aback because there were less gifted natural performers on the dance show. The ballroom plods include the hapless GMTV presenter Kate Garraway, whose movement has been likened to a rag doll, although a sack of spuds might be a more accurate description.

The fact is that Strictly Come Dancing, like life itself, isn't a talent show; it is a likeability show. And people don't like pushiness, which is often dressed up as being driven.

And, lest I am misconstrued, one should flag up a common misconception. Pushy men are regarded equally suspiciously. There is nothing more distressing than seeing an Alpha Male in full swing - except perhaps a female aping his behaviour.

Pushiness, as opposed to determination, is a less than attractive attribute and it certainly does not equate with soulfulness. If your boss shouts a lot and tells you how busy he/she works, he/she is probably crap at their job, and is living in fear of getting the bullet. Fear, you understand, is a bigger motivator than ambition.

In most walks of life, such a personality smacks of desperation, but it seldom represents a clear and present danger to the general public.

Such a mindset when transferred to a surgeon or a doctor, however, can have extremely serious repercussions and explains why the NHS compensation bill for botched operations and duff diagnoses continues to soar. Just have a look at the number of suspensions on the General Medical Council's website. It's a wonder our hospitals and GP surgeries continue to function.

Fortunately, Strictly Come Dancing does not present a threat to human life and limb. But the show does give the lie to the belief that likeability equates to a losing mentality. Nice guys - and girls - don't always have to finish last.