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.