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One of the first things a politician learns is to steer clear of "third rail" issues, so named because they are as dangerously charged as the high voltage power cables on a train line.
Why then, in Britain's great veil debate, are the nation's Labour MPs clamouring to break political taboos by voicing their opinions on an issue as contentious as Islamic dress?
For a fortnight, discussion has raged in Britain over whether Muslim women should wear the full-face veil, or niqab, and whether non-Muslims should express their views on it.
House of Commons leader and former foreign secretary Jack Straw kicked off the storm when he revealed that he asks Muslim women who visit his constituency offices to lift their veils.
Straw, whose constituency is 25-30% Muslim, said it was important to see facial expressions when communicating with people.
He also said the niqab, a full head cover with only a slit for the eyes, was a "visible statement of separation", and that no-one had objected to his request for it to be removed.
It may be an issue that directly affects very few people, only a tiny minority of Muslim women wear the niqab, but Straw's comments sparked an outcry from the vocal Muslim lobby, which accused him of fuelling racism and Islamophobia.
It was not so much Straw's argument that they objected to, it is one shared by many Muslims, but that a non-Muslim had spoken about the issue at all.
But Straw's detractors were outnumbered by supporters, congratulating him for breaking the taboo on Muslim issues and for encouraging others to do the same.
And they certainly took up the invitation.
Prime Minister Tony Blair weighed in by saying the veil was "a mark of separation" which made non-Muslims uncomfortable.
"No one wants to say that people don't have the right to do it. That is to take it too far," Blair said. "But I think we need to confront this issue about how we integrate people properly into our society."
Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said the veil was a "symbol of women's subjugation to men" and those wearing it "cannot take their full place in society".
Constitutional Affairs Minister Harriet Harman (who like Straw is a candidate for Labour's deputy leadership), said the veil is "an obstacle to women's participation, on equal terms, in society".
So why is a government long accused of political correctness and adherence to multiculturalism now changing its tune so markedly?
Some say politicians are doing it to boost their profile, given the imminent departure of Blair and a likely spill of cabinet positions.
Others say that a resurgent opposition is prompting Labour to take on more populist themes to renew its appeal to a `Middle Britain' that is rapidly deserting it.
But it is also recognition within Labour's ranks that its previous approach to multiculturalism had gone too far.
How far was illustrated this week when a 14-year-old schoolgirl was arrested by police for purported `racism'.
Codie Stott was reported to police by teachers after she asked to swap study groups on a science project because among her six-student group, only one besides her spoke English.
She was taken to the police station but released without charge.
British Airways put a check-in worker on unpaid leave when she refused to cover a necklace bearing a cross, which she said was an expression of her Christian faith.
The airline claimed the jewellery contravened its uniform policy, when no such restriction is put on Muslim veils or Sikh turbans.
Similarly, the BBC had internal arguments about a cross worn by one of its television newsreaders.
Meanwhile, classroom assistant Aishah Azmi was suspended for refusing to remove her full-face veil even though pupils found it hard to understand her during English language lessons.
Her school is in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, home of 7/7 suicide bomber Mohammed Siddique Khan.
It is a noteworthy coincidence, because the issue of cultural separation, and the government's shifting attitude towards it, can be traced back to the 2005 terrorist attack in London.
It was after those bombings that the government first began to tackle the isolation of Muslim communities and the way that fuels extremism.
Even before the veil debate, Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly called for a "new and honest debate" on the merits of multiculturalism.
And at last week's Labour conference, Home Secretary John Reid (possibly angling for the Labour leadership) said Britain would not be bullied by Muslim fanatics.
Just this week, a leaked document revealed government plans to encourage university lecturers to spy on "Asian looking" or Muslim students and report anyone they suspect of being involved in Islamic extremism.
If the government wanted open debate, it certainly got it.
