WELL, MAYBE NOT ?...

The events of yesterday concerning the issues surrounding the Labour Party have given rise to a curious situation.   The Equality and Human Rights Commission issued their findings following months of investigation into alleged anti-Semitism within the Labour Party.  The EHRC found the party was responsible for three breaches of the Equality Act.  The first was political interference in regard to anti-Semitism complaints; the second was failure to provide adequate training for those handling anti-Semitism complaints; and harassment, including the use of anti-Semitic tropes and suggesting that complaints of anti-Semitism were fake or smears.

As a result of of the comments he made concerning the report, former Leader Jeremy Corbyn has been temporarily suspended from the party and it remains to be seen what other, if any action is taken against the party so I won`t speculate any further.

But the curious situation which has emerged - it was probably there anyway but has now been confirmed and heightened thanks to the EHRC report - is that the electors of this country are now faced with a really rather depressing choice as to which political party, if any, to vote for.

The choice seems to have come down to a party which is probably now unelectable; one which is clearly incompetent; another which is wholly irrelevant; and a few at the fringes which are languishing in the Isthmian League of the political pyramid.  And you wonder why I probably won`t bother, even if I`m still around in 2024 ?

 

CLOSE OF PLAY...

The old photo above shows what used to be Hampshire Cricket Club`s home ground at Northlands Road in Southampton.   A good old fashioned, traditional county ground which for some years now has been superseded by the ultra modern, very impressive Ageas Bowl on the outskirts of the city.   But it was at Northlands Road that I had my first introduction to county cricket when, back in 1949, my parents and I made the journey across Southampton Water on the Hythe Ferry and then a bus ride to see Hampshire take on the touring New Zealand side.

Now that I have lived in Kent for well over half a century, my cricketing loyalties are divided between  the county of my boyhood and the county I now call home;  nonetheless I have always retained a keen interest in Hampshire cricket and over the years I have had the sad duty to record the passing of perhaps most of my boyhood cricketing heroes from those long ago days - Jimmy Gray, Derek Shackleton, Vic Cannings, Charlie Knott, Neville Rogers, Neil McCorkell and more - it`s quite a long list.

And today I heard of the passing of Alan Rayment at the age of 92.  At the time of my Northlands Road introduction, Alan was making his way from the second eleven to the county side, in which whilst never quite matching the heights of some of his more illustrious team mates, he nevertheless he served the county with distinction for a number of years.  His statistics may not match some of those of his contemporaries - 199 matches for Hampshire; 6,388 runs at a modest 20.31; four centuries but 23 fifties; a top score of 126 - but cricket is not all about numbers.

Among my collection of cricket books, there are a couple by John Arlott, a devoted cricket man of Hampshire, in which he writes of "my most heartening experience of the season being the batting of Alan Rayment."  He goes on to say, "Rayment `came good` in the last match of the (1951) season against the severe test of facing the Gloucester spinners Goddard and Cook on a turning wicket. The wicket favoured the bowlers throughout yet he never gave a chance in some five hours batting.  Most impressive of all was his maturity, never once taking a liberty with a good ball or failing to punish a bad one, his two innings in that match each bringing a half century through decorative stroke play."

As well as cricket, Alan led a varied and interesting life.  He and his wife Betty were expert ballroom dancers and ran a dancing school in Southampton until the late `50s.  He spent a year as a cricket coach with MCC at Lord`s in 1959, since when he said that he was "in turn a teacher, estate agent, community worker, postgraduate student, property developer and psychotherapist."  So, as yet another bleak winter approaches, the echoes of summer bring yet another sad departure from those far off days when the sun always seemed to shine and those like Alan Rayment brought cricket into the life of eager boys like me. 

 

 

....OR WAS IT IRONY?

Watched Match of the Day 2 on BBC late(ish) last night.  Now we all know about BBC bias - left leaning, metro centric, never wrong whatever the criticism might be, assumed entitlement to squander licence-payers money, but last night they exceeded their deserved reputation......or have they finally discovered the meaning of irony?

The segment/highlights of the game between Southampton and league leaders Everton began with five minutes of adulation about Everton`s admittedly excellent start to the season which included a collection of Everton fans singing the praises of the team and their manager, Carlo Ancelotti.   I suspect this montage was filmed in anticipation of the Saints being given an almighty thrashing and probably accounts for the BBC`s decision to have two former Everton players (Tim Cahill and Leon Osman) in the studio to `analyse` the expected victory for the Toffees.

Trouble was that Southampton beat Everton 2-0 in a game which they dominated from start to finish, thoroughly deserved to win and which saw them rise to 5th in the Premier League table.  So it was surprising the pre-recorded segment was not `pulled` and that the studio pundits were not replaced by a more neutral duo.  Unless....and here might the irony lie - the montage of fans before the match set the scene perfectly for the way the game panned out -  so the producers played a blinder in setting Everton up for a fall. 

Having two ex Everton players in the studio was premeditated overkill and simply added to the irony, which is defined in my dictionary as "aspect of a situation that is odd or amusing because the opposite of what one would expect."   Sounds about right.

 

I guess it`s that time of the year - summertime has gone and seems a long way away, the clocks went back an hour last night (not that it makes any difference when you`ve got a dog); the Covid thing and all its works is still with us; my SAD thingy has kicked in and the Saints are at home to league leaders Everton in a couple of hours time, all of which combined to make me want to get away from it all.

So this morning we did the best we could do to achieve that by having a good walk up along the Pilgrims Way in the Kent Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, which is a ten minute car ride from home.  It was a bit early and quiet what with the clocks going back and folk without dogs being able to enjoy the extra hour in bed. 

It was a bit wet with a brisk wind blowing  in occasional showers and a bit muddy under foot but we enjoyed a decent walk for an hour or two along this ancient trackway which leads all the way from Winchester to Canterbury.  Dudley enjoyed a good scamper off the lead and some optimistic chases after a few endangered pheasants and throughout our time there we only saw two other people - a couple of cyclists - and I was struck by the silence, the autumn colours and the carpet of leaves that covered most of the path.

A brief escape before `normal service` is resumed in a world which seems increasingly fraught for all kinds of reasons.   Anyway, here`s my photo of a bit of the Pilgrims Way where we walked today.  It looks very tempting, very inviting and I`m already looking forward to next time to enjoy its peace, its history and away-from-it-all escapism.....

 

It sure is.  Right now there are so many crazy things going on in the world that my conviction - that we live in God`s blueprint so that the initial design faults for humanity can be ironed out before we go into full time production - has been justified by many recent events.  I`ll turn to just one example to illustrate the point.

Hard on the heels of turbulent priests wandering yet again into politics and politicians themselves playing their ya-boo games which continue to insult the intelligence of those who put them there, we now have the judiciary once again confirming that not only can the law itself be an ass but so too can those who are supposed to display experience, knowledge, understanding and common sense when dispensing their conclusions.

A killer who apparently cannot be named for legal reasons (really) has successfully brought a legal challenge under Article 3 of the Human Rights Act.  Here`s the saga - the Upper Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber heard that the killer arrived in Britain 18 years ago, when he was 28.  He entered the country illegally and claimed asylum on the grounds that he had been detained as a Tamil during the Sri Lankan civil war, but his claim was rejected.

He appealed, lost the appeal but then lodged another appeal on human rights grounds -  including under Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights which prohibits `torture or inhumane or degrading treatment.`  Once again, his appeal was rejected, after which he went on to commit a number of criminal offences, mainly at `the lower end of the spectrum of severity.`  But in 2006 he was handed two short jail terms for assault and a further assault later that year which led to a hospital order.

In 2010 he committed a far more serious offence when he stabbed a man 21 times who was living with him in the sheltered accommodation they shared.  The victim died of his wounds.  In September last year, by now aged 45  and a diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic, he renewed his asylum bid and in the Lower Tribunal a judge allowed the case on Article 3 grounds.  It was ruled that "it was likely that he would face a real risk of cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment at the border of Sri Lanka."

The Home Office appealed this ruling but the ruling was upheld by the Upper Tribunal.  So there we have it.  Yet another expensive, time consuming legal saga resulting in a convicted killer who should not have been here in the first place, not only being allowed to stay but also being unable to be identified even though his name would have been made public at his criminal trial.

As to the application of common sense in this case the judge should surely have taken account of the fact that they play cricket in Sri Lanka.  And very well too.  

 

Seems to me that life is all about good news and bad news and I know it might be getting just a tad boring for me once again to be posting about football;  but it is one of the things that makes for a welcome distraction from the perils of the world we live in along with other snippets of largely useless information that come my way.

Yesterday`s football was a good example of good news and bad and the good news for our new found heroes of Stoke Gabriel was that they managed to score a goal.  Only their third of the season, mind you, but it was a pity that their opponents, Ilfracombe Town, scored 17 in reply.  That has not helped Stoke Gabriel`s goal difference, which now stands at a disconcerting minus 151 so I`m sure their coaching staff will be working hard on their defence before Tuesdays night`s encounter at home to Elmore.

Good news for Southampton - they have now gone three games without defeat, following yesterday`s 3-3 draw away at Chelsea and good news too for Forest Green Rovers in their 1-0 home win against Stevenage, although their bad news came in the form of so many injuries and illness (a Covid outbreak not helping) that they were unable to field a full bench.  But some bad news for Gillingham who lost 2-0 away at MK Dons; no wonder my neighbour has fled the parish!

More good news for Maidstone United, who romped to a 4-1 win against Hemel Hempsted  but the bad news is that if they carry on like that they run the real risk of getting promoted.  Truro City went down heavily following the long journey to Hayes and Yeading  losing 3-1 to put a severe dent in their own promotion hopes.

Some good news from Scotland`s Highland League where Fort William play.  It seems that due to Covid restrictions, the league programme which has so far been suspended, is now scheduled to begin on 28th November - the bad news being that a vastly curtailed season is likely to dent any hopes The Fort might have of clinching their first ever title.

I thought I had read some really good news on Friday when it was reported that Naga Munchetty would be `hosting` Radio 5 Live`s drive time programme from January - radio being the hopefully operative word.  However, hopes were quickly dashed as she will still be on our early morning TV screens on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays even when she starts on the radio.  It`s probably just me but on television she seems to exude as much warmth as a cold shower on a frosty morning.

Hope your news is all good.  Have a nice day.

 

 

WELCOME TO THE CLUB...

The picture above shows the beautiful village of Stoke Gabriel, which nestles along the banks of a creek from the River Dart in the South Hams area of Devon.  It`s a lovely village as you can see and with its population of about 1100 it seems to be the essence of peace and tranquility.  Perhaps its only claim to fame is that it was the birthplace of the Great Western Railway`s Chief Mechanical Engineer, George Jackson Churchward, who lends his name to the local football club`s ground; and it is the football club that has recently been attracting the attention not only of the media but also romantics like myself, who take an interest in struggling football teams.  

This may be because in my playing days as a box-to-box midfield dynamo with a good engine and an eye for a pass I played for teams that perpetually struggled - probably because I was playing for them.   Anyway, my attention has been drawn to the exploits of Stoke Gabriel FC who play in the South West Peninsula League Division One East, alongside teams from big towns like Ilfracombe, Honiton, Ivybridge, Crediton  and Torrington - so the competition at least in terms of population is a bit daunting.

And so it is proving. A struggling start to the new season has seen Stoke Gabriel anchored to the bottom of the league.  So far they have played 11 games, won none, drawn none and lost all eleven.  They have managed to score two goals but sadly have conceded 137, which leaves them with a goal difference of minus 135.  Last night, for example, they played away at Axminster Town and lost 15-0.  Until last night Axminster were next to bottom of the league but have now rocketed to third from bottom on goal difference - their 15 goals last night wiping out the deficit. 

Now normally Stoke Gabriel`s exploits might, one would expect of this cruel world, bring howls of derision but far from it, for their opponents are all praising the attitude of the club, its players and coaches for their determination to keep going and work towards improved performances as the season progresses.  I agree it is praiseworthy indeed and of course they are not alone in the annals of struggles on the field of play.  The reason I have followed Fort William so assiduously over the years is that their performances have also been record breaking in terms of heavy defeats and I am not alone in continuing to follow them as they now have a world wide following of admirers.

So welcome to the club, Stoke Gabriel - keep going - you are not alone.

 

A quiet(ish) weekend on the football front.  It began with the announcement by Gareth Southgate that neither Danny Ings nor James Ward-Prowse would feature in England`s game against Belgium, which came as a relief for us Saints fans who are fed up with our players getting kicked up in the air and/or tapped up by players from other clubs whilst on international duty. There were seven or eight of our other players playing for their native countries in places like Denmark, Ireland, Poland - even Mali! - so we hope they are all able to return safely from their travels.

Naturally enough, my attention turned elsewhere this weekend and I am more than happy to report that Gillingham were again worthy winners in a 3-1 victory over Oxford United which saw them climb to the dizzy heights of fourth in League One.  No wonder my neighbour is  over the moon.

Forest Green Rovers made the long journey from their Gloucestershire idyll to Scunthorpe and secured a 4-1 win which also propelled them to the higher reaches of League Two.  They were helped by our street`s local hero Scott ("No bacon") Wagstaff playing the whole game, thus bringing his experience to bear in a performance recognised as "excellent" by manager Mark Cooper.

It got even better with Truro City climbing to second in their league following a 2-0 win over Yate Town and Maidstone United managing a 2-2 draw against Havant and Waterlooville.  Sadly still no sign of the Highland League in Scotland springing into action, but Fort William stand ready once hostilities recommence, if ever.

So, no sign of parrot sickness this weekend, which is nice, but likely to re-emerge as Saints go to Chelsea next up.  But I`ll enjoy the peace and the absence of any mental health issues while it lasts.

 

Winter draws on.   And, given my reputation as a fashion icon, not to say style guru in these parts, I thought it was time to offer a brief guide so as to help you choose your own wardrobe for the coming season and perhaps the best way I can help is by setting out the items I have purchased over the last few days, following an exhaustive critique of current trends.

So I went to Marks and Spencer and within the space of about five minutes I managed to select a rugby shirt, a tee shirt and a jumper - all Blue Harbour, of course.   Next a visit to JD Sports where, after some more serious discussion with two of their `advisers,` I opted for a pair of Nike Air trainers in a rather fetching shade of grey.

Well, I hope that helps in giving some ideas as to how to keep up with that certain modern look which is so essential as the festive season approaches.  After all, my new collection is what the discerning 81-year olds are wearing this season.  You heard it here first.

 

DESIGN FAULTS...

Earlier in the week the report into alleged child sex abuse in the Anglican Church was published.  Now once again I have to tread carefully here, for it is not my wish or intention to cause any offence to anyone who might be, say, more devout in their beliefs than me.  Over the years I have mentioned that my approach to religion is one of guarded scepticism.  It is based on the notion that, if I ever get up there and discover that it`s all true after all, then I will be the first to apologise for having any doubts. 

But I think the report by the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse chaired by Professor Alexis Jay, does perhaps add a little more legitimacy to my doubts about it all.  Now what is certain is that in the end I may not have a problem with God Almighty, save for the odd criticism of some design faults in humanity but I do have a genuine problem with His (or Her?) representatives on Earth.

I won`t go in to the details of the report - it has been widely covered in all kinds of media - but it itemised the many hundreds of cases of child abuse perpetrated over the years by clergy in the Anglican Church. I was interested in the Church`s response to the findings and the recommendations.  The report, having suggested that the Church was more inclined to safeguard its reputation than the wellbeing of the victims of abuse, made several recommendations including:-

- the Church of England should improve how it responds to complaints concerning safeguarding, for example by reintroducing a rule to expel any member of the clergy found guilty of child sexual abuse;

- responsibility for safeguarding should be taken out of the hands of diocesan bishops and given to safeguarding officers employed by the central hierarchy of the Church.

There were other recommendations besides those but Professor Jay said she hoped the report and recommendations would help to "ensure these failures never happen again."  The Church of England said the report "makes shocking reading" and that the institution "must learn lessons from this inquiry." 

Well that seems to be the standard response by any big organisation caught behaving in a less than acceptable manner.   But to prevent that happening in this case perhaps the Church should go for the belt and braces approach which would take away any safeguarding responsibility completely from within the Church itself and agree to an independent external Commission taking on the task for them.  That way perhaps yet another design fault can be avoided?  I`m sure head office would approve.

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SPARE A THOUGHT...

And so we say `farewell` to yet another transfer window as the doors slammed shut at 11.00pm last night to bring another scramble to a shuddering halt (unless you still want to buy players from the Championship and all points south.)  As for the Saints, it`s been interesting in that they have managed to unload a few of the more spectacular failures of recent years - Wesley Hoedt to Lazio, Guido Carrillo to Elche, Sofiane Boufal back to Angers - all of which helps the wage bill.  Players coming in have included a couple of up and comers - Salisu and Diallo of whom much is expected in time - an excellent capture of right back Kyle Walker-Peters from Tottenham and the return of the prodigal Theo Walcott.

I remember being at St. Mary`s when Walcott made his debut and even at 16 years of age you could see his potential.  No surprise when, at a time when Southampton needed the money, he left after about 50 games for us and went to Arsenal where he won trophies, scored loads of goals and earned 47 caps for England.   (I was also present to see the debuts of Gareth Bale, Alex Oxtail-Chamberlain and even Luke Shaw, each of whom has gone on to varying degrees of success.)  But I`m glad that Walcott has decided to `come home` and spend the twilight of his career where it all started for him.  Pity some of the others don`t do the same with the possible exception of Luke Shaw, who has gone native at Manchester United.

But back to the transfer business.  It often reminds me of a bit of a livestock market with its effects on the players and their families.  It`s OK for the super stars on the international stage with their private jets, their ridiculous salaries and unending bonuses to guarantee a lifetime of riches and privilege but I always feel for those professional footballers further down the line - those in the lower reaches of the `football family,` the food chain.

One minute they`re happily playing away at the game they love and in what appear secure environments, the next their agent has been on the phone with the news that another club has had a bid accepted for their services and, as the transfer window is about to close, can they get down to wherever at short notice, sign the contract and begin the frantic process of moving on, disrupting family life and having to come to terms with a change they might not have seen coming. 

It all seems a bit unfair down there and,yes, I know they are in their `chosen profession` but it`s a short career and right now there are an awful lot who are simply out of work with families, mortgages and all the other responsibilities of life.  As much as I might welcome the return of Theo Walcott to his spiritual home, at the same time I feel for those who find themselves, like so many others in other walks of life, in a very difficult situation not necessarily of their making.   

A thought genuinely spared.

 

Well, raindrops kept falling on my head yesterday but that doesn`t mean my eyes were turning red, far from it.  The gloom of a miserable dose of Autumn weather was lifted by, yes you`ve guessed it, football.

Now I don`t want to appear unkind but I have to be honest and confess to a bit of an inner smirk when Manchester United get tonked.  And then Liverpool had the wake up call their complacency deserved but then they are Southampton`s tribute team after all, so perhaps not surprising to see them thumped 7-2 at Aston Villa.

As for things closer to my heart, it was encouraging to see the Saints register an impressive performance in beating West Brom 2-0 in front of an empty St. Mary`s.  That`s two wins on the bounce and another clean sheet.  And things got better as the weekend progressed with my neighbour`s beloved Gillingham travelling to Shrewsbury and securing a 1-1 draw thanks to an injury time leveller which left them in the top six in League One.  Over the moon next door, I imagine. 

And in other news, Forest Green Rovers also secured a 1-1 draw against Walsall to maintain their unbeaten league run in a game which saw our local hero Scott ("Pass the quinoa") Wagstaff come on in the second half, again to use his experience and shepherd his newfound team mates over the line.  And they`re dancing in the streets of Truro as the White Tigers banished Hungerford Town from the early stages of the FA Cup with an emphatic 4-0 hammering.

Maidstone United also came through their Cup encounter 1-0 away at Hendon, although the match was marred by unusual, not to say, daft circumstances.  Because of the Covid restrictions, Maidstone were barred from taking any of their supporters from attending the game, although Hendon were allowed to have their own supporters there.  This is because of the bizarre ruling that means supporters from National League sides are banned but not those from leagues lower down.  (I`m sure the virus is aware of these rulings and is behaving accordingly.)

No sign yet of Fort William starting their campaign in the Highland League but that apart it was a pretty satisfactory and satisfying set of results which will bring a week of content to an otherwise befuddled mind.  Can`t complain, to be fair.

 Just had a letter from the TV Licensing people, which instructs me to pay them £160 for the privilege of watching television.  What`s disappointing is that, as an elderly pensioner struggling to survive on a fixed income in these difficult economic times, I thought that having passed 75 six years ago I wouldn`t have to pay it any more.  Seems I was wrong.  

So although I should know better I`ve taken to watching Newswatch, which is a 15 minute programme which comes on at 7.45 each Saturday morning - hardly prime time viewing - and is presented by one Samira Ahmed who not long ago filed legal proceedings against the BBC under the Equal Pay Act which was found in her favour, a settlement was reached with the BBC although no figure was made public despite it being public money.

Anyway, yesterday`s edition of Newswatch contained criticisms from viewers about such things as the BBC reporting on the American Presidential election, their reporting on the corona virus `gaffs` by the Prime Minister and a junior minister (Gillian Keegan?) and reporting on the recent ant-lockdown demonstrations. On the first issue the main criticism was that the BBC reports concentrated on the `rows` between Trump and Biden rather than reporting anything about the broader issues covered in what was admittedly a pretty chaotic `debate.`

On the second issue about the lockdown demonstrations, where the criticism centred around the notion that the demonstrations had been largely ignored by the BBC, up popped an American sounding gentleman who apparently heads up something called the BBC Anti-Disinformation Unit. (No I hadn`t either.) It seems their role in life, according to the gentleman who popped up,  is to counter the disinformation/misinformation that might be found on social media, etc., counter conspiracy theories, debunk rumours and "hunt for the truth without telling people what to think."  This from an organisation accused of political bias, left wing leanings and a London centric metropolitan fixation came across as priceless.

In regard to the specific points raised by viewers, BBC News issued `statements` claiming that it was `valid` for them to concentrate on the shouting match between the presidential candidates and that it was not unreasonable for them to report on the Prime Minister and junior minister`s lack of detailed knowledge; that it was not the BBC`s intention to `trip them up` but rather it was important to ask the questions;  in other words, everything they did was fine so no further questions, m`lud.  The BBC, of course, are never ever wrong.

Now in a former life, whenever a mistake occurred - and of course they did from time to time - I always found that it was best to admit it, explain how it happened and put it right.  If only the BBC could admit that now and again they get things wrong.

But at the end of Newswatch we were told the good news that the BBC will retain the red button service, following complaints that it would be withdrawn to save costs.  Pity they didn`t also announce that us octogenarians would not have to pay the licence fee after all.  If only !

Now where did I put that letter?

 

When I was very young about 75 years ago I remember being allowed to listen to Children`s Hour on the radio - in those days there was just the radio (no television) when programmes were limited to things like the Home Service and the Light Programme.  I think Children`s Hour came on at 5.00pm each day and it was introduced by a kindly sounding gentleman called Uncle Mac, who always closed the programme by saying, "Goodnight children. Everywhere.".  I particularly liked listening to the `serials` - things like Ballet Shoes (which I liked for the music - Wolf Ferrari`s `Jewels of the Madonna` and such like - before anyone asks) and regular features such as Toytown and the Just So Stories.    

Now that I`ve grown up a bit I have tended to tune in to Prime Minister`s Questions which are broadcast each Wednesday at 12.00 noon and it, along with the antics going on in the run up to the American Presidential Election, begins to make me wonder whether anyone in politics has grown up either.  What is truly worrisome about the `Presidential Debates` is not only the appalling behaviour of the candidates, which amounts to an insult to the intelligence of the would be voters, but also the frightening prospect that either of the candidates will end up as the leader of the western world with his finger on the nuclear button. (If only it was a her.?)

Back here we have the Fat Controller and his assorted Mr. Men grappling with the biggest crisis to hit the country in decades;  Mr. Grumpy of the Opposition just being, well, grumpy and a succession of `smaller` party hacks jumping up and down trading insults, lies, damned lies and statistics just because they can in pursuit of their particular fantasies. 

The most recent entrant to these fol-de-rols is one Sir Ed Davey, knighted after promising to go way from politics only to leap back on the bandwagon.  He is rumoured to be the newly elected leader of the Liberal Democrats and has just been on television to say how dreadful it was that his party got hammered at the last election, wondering why and promising to listen to what people have to say.  Maybe he and his chums should have listened to the astonishment of the voters when they were told that, despite the majority in the 2016 EU Referendum to leave the EU, the Liberal Democrats decided to ignore that democratic mandate and campaign at the last election to remain in the EU after all. "They did not listen, they did not know how.  Perhaps they`ll listen now." (D. McLean)

It`s said time and time again that politics and politicians have never been held in such low esteem but it`s hardly surprising when all you hear are Just So Stories coming out of the Toytown of Westminster.

Goodnight children.  Everywhere.