That’s me for a bit. I’m off to contemplate the social pressures that I allowed to force me to spend money I haven’t got on stuff my kids don’t need in order to celebrate a festival I don’t believe in.

I’ll also be pondering why, in this season of goodwill to all, when you go down the shops, people are invariably grasping, ill-bred savages incapable of showing good manners let alone goodwill.

Have a Happy… Thing.

UPDATE: Except to say, was Tony’s visit to Basra to have his picture taken really necessary? We are, after all, living in an age of stupendous special effects. Tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money could have been saved with a little bit of judicious photoshopping. They could have asked Tim Ireland to do it. At least, as a former soldier said on Radio 5 this morning, the squaddies bestowed the honour of meeting Tony will have been issued with clean kit so they look pristine for the photos. I wonder if they were allowed to keep their guns unlike the Iraqi soldiers inspected by Dick Cheney the other day.

And lastly, a fine, flawless diamond amongst the almost unmitigated horseshit that is the output of the BBC these days. Ten solid days of Bach and all to be available for free online. I know almost bugger all about classical music but if nothing else, I recommend trying to find the Six Suites for Solo Cello which are achingly beautiful. The licence fee (just) gets my blessing for another year.