November 3rd 2020 - ISN'T THE OBVIOUS OBVIOUS

Well I did but to find out what I did you'll have to delve into the archives for my last post on October 31st. However I'm now back and before I have to say something tomorrow about the wonderful democratic election of a new US President, let's have another quick moan about Covid.

I find it quite amazing that Professor Chris Witty and Sir Patrick Valence, both undoubtedly clever men, can produce such complicated statistical evidence, show it on a slide for less than a minute, expect us to be able to grasp any real meaning from it but then seemingly state the bloody obvious when giving evidence to a parliamentary committee.

Today Prof Witty said he was confident that tier 2 had had an effect and tier 3 had had an even greater effect. If more stringent measures had less effect it would seem stupid to apply them. They then said that numbers they produced for their graphs were less accurate the further into the future they went. I also don't think it requires a medical qualification to know that deaths from Covid will tend to occur some weeks after a person is diagnosed with the virus.

The only good thing was I didn't hear the word unprecedented at all. I feel that if someone just came along and said the more we mix together the more the virus will spread, the more people who get it the more people who will die and the R factor won't go under 1 because of any number of tiers and unlikely after a month long lock-down if schools remain open, I'd believe them. Probably.

November 4th 2020 - DEMOCRACY OR DEMON CRASS (showing no intelligence or sensitivity)

I had expected that tonight I would be able to write about the election of a new President in the United States. Wishful thinking; I can't. Having managed to drag campaigning out for almost a year, and speculation as to who will be candidates for even longer, they have failed to declare a result the day after voting. That's not terrible, it's a big country, lots of votes to be counted etc.

What is terrible for democracy, if such a thing exists anywhere, are the comments from the incumbent, Donald Trump. He has claimed the result is a fraud; it isn't, he is. He has announced he's won when he hasn't. He has said he is going to go to the Supreme Court to stop counting perfectly legal ballot papers. He has indulged in all the rhetoric and shenanigans that Idi Amin, Robert Mugabe or Saddam Hussein might have done.

He is behaving like a spoilt little brat who is having his toys taken away. He is a grown man not a man who makes you groan. He is a laughing stock, an idiot and has been leading a country he claims he wants to make great again. Let me assure him of success. The United States of America is now the greatest wonder of the modern world. People everywhere wonder how he was elected last time, wonder how he seems to have come so close this time and wonder how anyone, not mentally unstable, can make the pronouncements he does.

I need a bit of time before I can digest all of this. By the way, or BTW to my younger readers, I read today that a survey has found that in the UK living with children under 18 does not make you more likely to die from Covid. In fact, you are less likely. Now as to my trained statistical eye most adults living with children under 18, their children presumably, will be under 50, I think they are less likely to die of anything. Who funds these researchers who spend hours, and pounds, on research that you or I could pronounce in seconds?

November 5th 2020 - UP AND DOWN THE SLIPPERY POLL

The United States of America's vote for a new President has now become boring. Bernie Sanders correctly predicted what Thrump would do if he looked like losing and sure enough old red squirrel head has done it. His four year term is as good as over and his statements and tweets really proved one of my mother's favourite sayings, namely, empty vessels make the most sound. His team are issuing law suits all over the place, trying to stop vote counting in one place, encouraging vote counting in another and demanding recounts anywhere he thought he would win and seems to have lost.

Another loser here is those well known, well-paid people called pollsters. They got it wrong again. They have been wrong far too often now for those of us who have some statistical knowledge to begin to ask whether when they get it right it is more often luck than skill. Let's face it polling is always going to be about as reliable as the star signs some of you may read in various papers. Ring up 2,000 people, hope they tell you the truth, adjust the answers with a weighted bias to allow for some indeterminate factors, use the same algorithm as the education examiners in England and then pronounce your findings as accurate and watch your reputation vanish before your eyes. Then come back next time saying this time you've got it right. It's like facing Roger Federer at tennis, failing to return his serve, coming back with a new racquet, saying it will be different and failing again. Until you realise it is your ability not the tools you use that is failing this can be a recurrent theme.

Of course if the pollsters were correct then someone should start asking questions about electoral fraud in Florida, shouldn't they? Talking of Florida, Thrump owns three golf courses there. Maybe he should retire from politics and do what he is well known for, play on all his courses, beat everyone and become intercourse champion.

November 6th 2020 - FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS, BUT STATISTICS ARE PLIABLE - MARK TWAIN

It would appear that my grump about statistics produced by the government and their advisers at press briefings was not misplaced. The UK Statistics Authority criticised the way the government presented data to justify the new lock-down. They said there needed to be more transparency which, to me, means the data presented has to be simpler. I thought that we were in for a treat yesterday when Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, said that he thought the public found the stats too complicated and he would only show us one simple slide which showed facts not projections. Unfortunately he then produced an animation which just clouded things over again.

A chart presented at Saturday's briefing suggested a worse-case figure of up to 1,500 deaths a day by December 8. It's now been reduced to 1,010 after an error was found. BOJO told us that regardless of the error the data is refutable, obviously meaning it is impossible to deny. I can't deny the number of deaths are rising and will continue to rise for a while. I can ask whether the predictions being made are accurate. It's all based on computer modelling and, as I've never seen a computer on a catwalk I do worry how good they may be at this task. I now think that the reason these experts produce so many graphs and statistics is purely because they are trying to befuddle us and I'm not alone in this.

Sir David Spiegelhalter, a very well respected statisticians, said he had been very unimpressed by some of the data presented in recent times, particularly Saturday's scenario of possible deaths. He also seemed to agree with something I have always maintained, namely that if you do not have the source of statistical projections then they can be meaningless. A little knowledge about presenting data is a dangerous thing, especially if you are presenting it to people who also only have a little knowledge.

And as we head off into the first weekend of lock-down 2 we still don't know who will be the new US President. We think we do, it seems to be going one way but Joe Biden has still not been proclaimed as having won. But when I next wake I know its gonna be, it's gonna be.....sorted. Oh how I wish Thrump would walk 500 miles, directly east from Washington DC.

November 9th 2020 - LEARN TO WALK BEFORE YOU TALK

I must first today take issue with the front page of the Metro this morning. They had a picture of the shortly to be replaced President of the United States and had captioned it "Trump the Grump". As the current world championing of grumping, a title I have held since May 2015 when I took on the role, I object. Donald Thrump is not grumpy. He is sulking and totally and utterly delusional. That is something completely different.

Right, that's got that off my chest, now to return to two of my favourite grumps. I see that the contestants have been announced for that well-known programme "I'm not very well-known but after a few weeks of being bullied and humiliated, someone might remember me". Apart from Sir Mo Farah, a man who has possibly made a poor judgement call before, I wouldn't call anyone a celebrity. A couple are a bit well-known but celebrities, really? However I'm sure the bosses at ITV will find suitable ways to keep the ratings high and attract the advertisers who pay the bills.

Leading on from that to yet more TV related news, if what I am reading from Lord Spencer, the late Princess Diana's brother, is true, journalism has, once again, plunged way below the gutter into the sewage where they too make their money. Martin Bashir, the BBC's religious editor, is being accused of the most disgusting and abhorrent fabrication of facts in order to secure an interview with the late Princess. The stories being told are terrible for anyone who hoped that the BBC would steer clear of journalism usually associated with the tabloid press.

I now find it hard to believe anything coming out of that, once, bastion of truth and honour. Every time I now see an exclusive interview arranged by a BBC journalist it will be tainted by the actions of the religious editor. Did he take the job as a penance or, did the BBC know what he had done or even found out what he had done, and push him to one side. All will no doubt be revealed, once Mr Bashir, who has had coronavirus and a quadruple heart transplant and cannot talk to the BBC, can be questioned. Interestingly someone seems to have taken photos of him out walking this weekend. But walking isn't talking.

November 10th 2020 - I NEVER DID IT AND EVEN IF I DID, I DIDN'T

More of an observation today than a full grump. I read somewhere (Huff Post maybe) that the last 70 or so days of Thrump's presidency could be the worst. Until 20th January 2021 he still has full presidential powers although I'm sure his mental ones will still be lacking. The article said it is possible he might even try to pardon himself with regard to any charges being brought against him both before and after becoming President.

I have to say that if he does try this he is a bigger idiot than even I think he is. Surely you can only be pardoned for a crime you have actually committed and so, if he does do so, he is admitting he did these things whatever they may be. He is so scared as to be so stupid. Watch this space while tomorrow I may be joining those talking vaccine.

November 11th 2020 - IT'S THE SUN WOT SAID IT.

The Sun's chief sports writer makes comment today on the departure from the FA of Greg Clark, who resigned as their chairman yesterday. He comments that while no-one suggests that Clark is a racist the organisation clearly needs to be led by someone who isn't a "bumbling duffer capable of stumbling into casual racism".

Thank god the main editorial team don't hold the same opinion otherwise inhabitants of a house in Downing Street will be worrying that their support from this paper may be on the wane.

November 12th 2020 - FIGURES, DAMN FIGURES AND STATISTICS.

I promise that this will be my last grump about statistics...........................until tomorrow. Probably. Maybe until next week, maybe next month but I just hate to see a load of figures being shown as statistics. Statistics is complicated. It is, by definition, the collection, organisation, analysis, interpretation and presentation of data. It is not giving out a set of figures.

For example, we were told yesterday that they were 1,518 new admissions to hospital, presumably with COVID although the BBC statistics didn't actually say that. That is a figure. It is a fact, if data collection is correct. It is not a statistic. It does not help us in any way to know if hospitals are getting overwhelmed. Firstly, we don't know how many people were discharged from hospital over the same period. If it was only 2, we are in trouble. If it was 2,000 then, at the moment, we have nothing to worry about hospitals now being able to cope.

We were told there were 595 new deaths. Were they in hospitals, were they at home? Again those deaths are not a statistic, they are a figure, a tragic figure but a figure. If the deaths were in hospital then, sadly, they will free up hospital space.

We were told there were 22,950 new cases, again merely a figure. Remember statistics involves not just the collection and display of data but its organisation, analysis and interpretation. All of these facts are why I get so annoyed about people referring to the latest statistics. It is the latest figures. Figures, quoted without proper analysis and also without an indication of the source of the figures and the size of the sample, can be used to portray anything. Our friends, Witty and Valence, have been most guilty of this. Their misleading data displays are further compounded by a ridiculously complicated method of display.

If you are going to use statistics please use them wisely, carefully and make sure they are not just a set of figures. I could tell you how much money I have spent on filling my car with petrol. That would be a figure; nothing more. If I told you how far I had driven that would give you more information and you could calculate how much it has cost me per mile. But to further analyse that you would need to know the engine size of my car, how much I had driven in urban or motorway conditions and even how heavy my right foot was, metaphorically speaking. Then you would have some statistics to work with. Statistics are complicated or else I wasted a good few of my teenage years studying something I could have understood in ten minutes. It was my favourite subject at school, probably. But, unlike this piece, I never wrote an essay on it because I think, on average, the range of what I would have said and the mode in which I was writing it, would have meant there was no correlation between what I wrote and the title, which would have been very mean. I might also have deviated from the standard required, possibly while chewing on a mint cake (that one's subtle). End of grump.

November 13th 2020 - IS IT ALL AS IT SEEMS.

NOTE It would appear, after I wrote this, that DOCU decided Christmas should come early and left

I need to begin this piece with a disclaimer. I am not, nor have I ever been, a top civil servant. My father was but he was one of the old breed who may just as well have signed the Official Secrets Act when it came to discussing his work. Nor have I ever been an MP, a minister or a member of the cabinet. The next paragraphs are not based on any direct knowledge. However I did study the British Constitution as an A level (I thought in keeping with the subject it would not be a written exam but I was wrong) and I have followed politics for most of my adult life.

It would appear that DOCU will be leaving his position as BOJO's special advisor before Christmas. Another Vote Leave guy has already resigned after being offered a better job. Top political commentators are saying there has been in-fighting within BOJO's top team and this is the result. Furthermore there are, it is said, a lot of very happy people within the Tory party, and possibly the upstairs flat at Downing Street, to see these two people leave.

I assume that both have been paid a salary and were officially employed by the PM's office. They will also, eyesight permitting, have been able to read comments about how unpopular they have been and how they have also been making BOJO unpopular too, although to be fair he has done a pretty good job of making this happen on his own.

As this all seems so childish I thought I would make a simple analogy. Imagine you are at school and no one likes your best friend and keeps bullying you about the fact you do. You all live some way away from the school building so you and your friend make a pact to pretend not to like each other at school but meet up, when no one can see, at home and keep chatting in the evenings on the phone or social media, suitably hidden of course. In other words what is to stop DOCU and Lee Cain, the other guy, from continuing to advise the PM once they have supposedly gone. Just saying.

November 16th 2020 - ONLY TRAVEL WHEN IT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY.

Well the weekend has gone and so has DOCU. It would also appear, if stories are to be believed, that he won't be back and BOJO will not be privately seeking his advice. However it all could be a smokescreen although I think I am now becoming a bit of a conspiracy peddler. Let's say he's gone, cardboard box and all, and believe he's gone.

It was briefing time today and I really don't know why they bother. They tell us everything we already know and, when journalists ask questions, they avoid giving any answers. It's a complete waste of time.

The one question they definitely failed to answer is why there were so many Tory MPs in the same room as BOJO and nobody was wearing a mask. BOJO is now having to isolate as one of the MPs subsequently tested positive. To be honest whether they had been wearing masks or keeping 6 metres apart, they would still have had to isolate but the big question is why have the meeting at all. We are being told to work from home if we can. Why couldn't BOJO do a ZOOM meeting or even a phone call.

We are trying, so we are constantly told, to act responsibly and stop the virus spreading. That meeting was not a demonstration of acting responsibly and to hear MAHA (Matt Hancock) almost praising the PM for showing leadership qualities and self isolating was a bit rich. BOJO told us at the beginning that we should wash our hands for 20 seconds to stop the virus spreading. Then he, his partner, his ex best friend all caught it, implying they were really unlucky or didn't follow their own advice. Then we had DOCU driving a few hundred miles while infectious to get child care, driving another 30 miles to test his eyesight and BOJO ending up in intensive care.

None of this looks good because if the PM really did take all precautions it's very worrying that he, six other MPs and two aides are now self-isolating. In my mind the meeting in person was unnecessary and a risk and so it proved.

November 17th 2020 - I'M AN ANTIQUE, GET ME OUT OF HERE, PLEASE.

I had a rather long, essential, drive today and when I got home I decided to postpone work and just sit and relax. I switched on my TV. There were three shows I sat and watched. One was called Money for Nothing where, it appeared, people rescued trash from a rubbish tip and turned it into an ocean going yacht, or something like that. Then there was The Antiques Road Trip where two antique experts drove around in a vintage car and stopped off at various places, bought antiques and these were then auctioned. Apart from, in my view, the pathetic voice-over of a Mr Tim Wonnacott and his trite, aimless attempts at humour (failed), the whole show was make believe in a massive way.

These two experts were seen driving in one car but somehow managed to go in totally different directions, by some miles, and only one of them had the car. I assume the other one was tele-transported on a sedan chair made out of an old set of scales from the previous programme.

Finally there was Flog It. A programme where hundreds of people turn up with their treasured antiques and two experts choose six pieces which are then sold at auction. Of the other 900 or so, nothing.

It made me realise that The Billy Cotton Band Show was actually entertainment. I guess these afternoon programmes are intended for those of my generation who have nothing to do before their evening meal. Perhaps I should watch more TV. Or maybe star in my own show as I am rapidly becoming an antique.

November 18th 2020 - AFTERNOON TV CONTINUES, TODAY IT'S POINTLESS.

I sussed out today why, at 12 noon on a Wednesday in the House of Commons, we have something called Prime Minister's Question Time. It is superbly named. The leader of the opposition plus the leaders of all other parties get to ask the Prime Minister a question.

But that's it. There is no answer from the PM, certainly not from BOJO. I don't think he actually answered one question today. He fluffed around, flannelled a bit, attacked the questioner, answered quite a few questions that he wasn't asked but never gave a direct answer.

I am, therefore, forced to ask what is the point of a question if it doesn't receive an answer? If it is rhetorical, OK. But, so that I do not fall guilty to my grump, I shall answer my own question. There is no point, no point at all. Just like all these briefings where experts bombard the public with charts, figures, possibilities, impossibilities and meaningless rhetoric. Our leaders and their advisers have become an afternoon TV programme. Pointless. (Subtle link to yesterday here)

November 19th 2020 - FEMALES SHOULD BE TREATED THE SAME AS MALES IN ANY JOB (even if other females think not).

Those of you who have read these epistles from the start are probably in a home for the terminally bewildered by now but, if not, you will know that I don't like labels such a feminism, racism, ageism etc. I believe, passionately, that all human being should be treated equally whatever sex, ethnicity or age. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying, nor will I ever say, that we are all equal. We aren't and it would be a very boring world if we were. But equal treatment should be given to all. That is why I believe in free health care and free education for all throughout our lives. There is then the option, if you can afford it and wish to spend your money that way, to pay for private care or education but a basic, good level should be there for all.

In that respect I am saddened to see sexism rear its head in government and parliament yesterday. In February this year the most senior civil servant at the Home Office, Sir Philip Rutman, resigned, alleging that staff felt that Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, created fear within the department. Sir Philip is now suing for constructive dismissal and that case is in the wings.

The government then set up an inquiry carried out by their independent adviser on standards. The report has concluded but not yet been published; in fact there is no law to say it has to be. It is sitting on BOJO's desk.

However, as always these days, certain sources have told the media what the findings were. They have said that the report found evidence of bullying, even though it might not have been intentional. Now I can accept a 4-year-old may not understand what bullying is but a fully grown adult, in a position of immense responsibility, should. I should point out that Ms Patel has always denied these allegations.

The report, so sources say, also concluded that Ms Patel broke the ministerial code in her dealings with civil servants. This code, although not a legal requirement, does say that ministers should treat civil servants with consideration and respect. The code also states that harassing, bullying or other inappropriate or discriminating behaviour will not be tolerated. Part of it also says that ministers are responsible for how they act (stating the bloody obvious here) but, most importantly, that they can only stay in office for as long as they retain the confidence of the Prime Minister.

So the questions seems to be, to my simple little mind and bearing in mind the fact that these sources are speaking accurately, does BOJO retain the confidence of someone who has been found to have been a bully, intentionally or through total immaturity, and broken the ministerial code. We will, apparently, find out tomorrow. No doubt the government are hoping for some other earth-shattering event to bury the PM's comments. I should point out that normally, if a minster breaks the code, they are expected to resign. This government could never be described as normal so don't expect that. After all the report was completed several months ago but BOJO has delayed giving any decision. I just hope against hope that the PM doesn't ask Ms Patel to apologise. My long-term followers will know my views on an apology being used to pretend everything is now fine.

I started this piece with my views on everyone being treated equally and that came about because I read a statement from a Tory MP, one Julie Marson, who was elected as the MP for Hertford and Stortford in the 2019 general election. Ms Marson sated that Ms Patel was doing a huge job (I think that's what she gets paid for) and that "like many women operating in a man's world, you have to be strong and decisive". I am horrified by these comments and, if I believed them to be from someone of good judgment, would tend to feel that woman should not have such jobs because if they do they are allowed to bully and disrespect those under them. I will then qualify this by saying that firstly I do not believe Ms Marson has shown good judgement, she wrote a long piece defending DOCU's jaunt up north and subsequent eye test, and also voted against the funding free school meals until Easter 2021. Secondly women are just as capable as men in doing most jobs. They should solely be judged on their own ability and behaviour in the job, not on their sex. By the same token, being female does not excuse bullying.

November 23rd 2020 - PRITI IS AS PRITI DOES.

Those of you who follow this blog religiously really need to get a new religion but, you will have spotted there was no upload on Friday. This was because I did not feel grumpy. I felt incandescent with rage and just couldn't put that anger into words. You will note that I ended the penultimate paragraph of my Thursday blog with the words "I just hope against hope that the PM doesn't ask Ms Patel to apologise. My long-term followers will know my views on an apology being used to pretend everything is now fine."

Guess what happened. Well quite a lot happened actually. The Prime Minister concluded that Pretty Petal, as she will now be known, had not broken the ministerial code despite his advisers on standards saying she had. At which point the advisers on standards, Sir Alex Allan, resigned. He obviously was in possession of a set of standards, stood by them and took the only possible route.

Then Pretty Petal, in flowery language, offered the complete non-apology saying she was sorry if her behaviour had upset anyone. Check it out. There was nothing wrong with her behaviour; swearing, shouting, bullying is fine. The problem was those silly little people who got upset by it. I believe BOJO described this a full apology.

It seems, from the report into her behaviour that no one is allowed to see, that bullying has stemmed (get it, good one) from her behaviour in several departments. Pretty Petal can, in BOJO's eyes, bloodshot, semi closed and pointing inwards, do no wrong. Now, Pretty Petal doesn't, in the words of Corporal Jones, like it up her. She complained when Yvette Cooper, as chair of the Home Affairs select committee, repeatedly asked Pretty if she would appear before said committee, that Ms Cooper's tone had become adversarial.

The other thing is that Pretty is the home secretary, responsible, among other things, for the police. As such not being able to acknowledge that your behaviour is that of a bully seems a bit rich. I dealt on Thursday with the ludicrous idea that she was not intentionally a bully, I now conclude that if that was the case she must have the social skills, intelligence and behaviour of a 4-year old.

In what may be the most laughable part of this whole episode, I understand that BOJO has written to all ministers and top civil servants today, Monday, saying that there should be no bullying in any form within departments. Having been advised that there was and taking no action at all, I feel hypocrite is not even the correct word. Too late for inclusion as word of the year, I offer ostrichious as a description of our PM and certain cabinet members. Head so far in the sand that they are almost emerging back up their own asses.

Any employee in the real world found guilty of bullying would be out of a job. Gone, with a serious scar on their employment record. But not Pretty. She emerges with a nonsensical non-apology and the full backing of her boss. It doesn't just seem like with this government that it is one rule for them and one rule for us; they actually keep demonstrating so no-one can be in any doubt. The Stamen and the Pistil snuggle up and horrify us all. Pretty is as Pretty does and in this case the first Pretty is the name not the appearance.

November 24th 2020 - I'M NOT ALWAYS GRUMPY - INITIALLY ANYWAY.

Some days I actually don't get grumpy about things so let's just sit back and wait for tomorrow when this wonderful government that has spent the last months putting its arm around everybody tightens its grip on the economy and possibly around your neck too. Yes Dishy Rishi (not my words) will be presenting his financial statement telling us all how he is going to cope with the government's finances in the coming year. Note it is only one year not the usual five which is obviously a great idea because Rishi has a habit of changing his mind and having to re-plan rather too often for my liking.

And once that is over, Thursday brings us news of which tier we will all be in when lock-down finishes. Personally I am a little confused about how we have been told that the restrictions in each tier will be tighter than before we went into lock-down but pubs serving meals can now stay open till 11pm. Is this an indication that the government got it wrong last time or have we found some new and exciting statistics to justify this? (OK I am grumpy).

I think we now know what we are allowed to do over Christmas although again some of the rules seem confusing. Try not to travel but you can get together with two other households. What if your family, who are these two, live miles away? Why can't we just be told to be sensible and make our own decisions?

Oh, and while I'm at it, I'm not sharing this euphoria over vaccines. Nothing has been approved yet and the old adage "act in haste, repent in leisure" should not be ignored. Let's get everything right this time. It's too important to screw up. One thing is certain, whichever vaccine is approved no one can know if there are any long-term side effects for years to come.

November 25th 2020 - COBURN = NO LONGER A SAFE PORT.

I was watching Politics Live today and I am sure I heard Jo Coburn, when speaking to Labour MP Robert Burgon about the Jeremy Corbyn case, state that Corbyn had said the report by the Equality and Human Rights Commission had seriously overstated the problem of anti-Semitism and did Mr Burgon think Corbyn should withdraw that comment.

The problem is that Jo Coburn was lying when she said that and for a BBC journalist who lunch time viewers may think tells the truth, that is inexcusable. Jeremy Corbyn said, and I think he was totally correct, that the problem of anti-Semitism was "dramatically overstated for political reasons" by opponents and the media. He did not criticise the report, he accepted the report, although disagreeing with some of its findings. He took responsibility. He explained that when he took office the complaints procedure was not fit for purpose but that he and Jennie Formby sought to make changes. He expressed regret that it had taken longer to deliver that change than it should.

And it should be noted that the report did not lay blame directly with Corbyn although, as party leader, the buck stopped with him.

I hope, tomorrow, Ms Coburn will issue live on air a full apology for her disgusting , possibly unintentional, slur. Otherwise the BBC should discipline her. If it was unintentional, a career in the Home Office beckons.

November 26th 2020 - SATISFACTION WITH THE BBC IS WANING - AS I SAID.

The ardent followers of these grumpy diatribes will be aware that I have several times "grumped" on a topic or made a statement, only to see it come true the next day. Quite clearly this is due to a stroke of genius on my part, although I will accept that you substitute luck for genius if you must. Lo and behold, getting Christmassy already, it happened again. Yesterday I was most unhappy with a BBC employee and, also yesterday, Ofcom published its third annual report into said BBC.

It would appear that satisfaction with the BBC is showing signs of waning among its most loyal audience. That loyal audience would seem to mean the over 55s, which includes me, and the more affluent in society (which does exist whatever Mrs Thatcher may have said) but, affluent-wise, does not include me.

Troubling, to my mind and viewing habits, the report says that this older, affluent group are still better served than other groups. Apparently the average time spent with the BBC EACH WEEK, yes I'm shouting that, by a younger audience is less than one hour. Ninety percent of us still consume, their words not mine, the BBC content each week. All of this doesn't look good for a licence fee approach to broadcasting.

The BBC said it welcomed the report and the content which said that audiences value the BBC particularly for distinctive, high-quality, creative programmes, educational content and trusted and accurate news, contrary to what I was saying yesterday.

November 27th 2020 - MARCHING UP AND DOWN THE TIERS.

I thought I'd finish the week by sharing a few thoughts I have had with regard to the latest decisions concerning lock downs and tiers. These are my thoughts, not necessarily facts just observations.

In October, against advice from Sage who recommended a short circuit breaker, the government introduced a tier system the purpose of which was to reduce the R number and get the virus under control. They said this was the right way to go. In that system roughly 23.5 million people were in tier 1, 24.0 million in tier 2 and 8.7 million in tier 3 with the most restrictions.

In early November, this tier system obviously wasn't working because we all went into a 4 week national lock-down which should have, and indeed has, driven down the R number. We are now due to come out of this lock-down next week and return to a new, stricter, tier system although with the same number of tiers.

This time, providing parliament approves everything next Tuesday, we will have just 713,573 people in tier 1, 32.2 million on tier 2 and 23.3 million in tier 3, a staggering increase in those of us now in higher tiers.

As the lock-down was supposed to be an improvement on the original tier system, things must surely now be better. We must now be at a better starting point. The only conclusion I can draw is that last time, when going against Sage advice, the government made a massive mistake as to which area should be in which tier. The lock-down has allowed them to make the changes which should have been there last time and not have to admit they got it completely wrong, something this government continually fails to admit. I would love to be proved wrong but, after the relaxation of rules for the five days of Christmas I feel we may all be ending up in a higher tier. If so, I will say I told you so and many others could do the same.

November 30th 2020 - FIFTY SHADES OF EXCUSES.

I have no idea who Rita Ora is. I imagine she must be unable to read, doesn't ever watch TV and lives a hermit-like existence in a cave in the Scottish Hebrides. Apparently though, on Saturday, in the middle of lock-down she attended a party to celebrate her 30th birthday. It was reported that up to 30 people were there (she may be innumerate too).

Then she says she is deeply sorry for breaking the lock-down rules (she can obviously speak). She adds that she takes full responsibility for her irresponsible actions. She says it was a spur of the moment decision (30th birthdays do that don't they, they creep up and surprise you). She further added that the decision to party was made with the misguided view that we were coming out of lock-down.

No, that wasn't a misguided view unless you are an idiot. We all know when lock-down is to end. Strangely, according to her statement, she is fully aware of the sacrifices that people and businesses have made but not aware when lock-down will end.

I'm afraid, Ms Ora, the excuses don't wash with me. I don't think you are stupid. I don't think you thought lock-down was ending. Like so many so-called celebrities you thought you could get away with having a party for your 30th. However, in your favour, I see that you have paid a 10,000 pound fine but then you can afford that. It would have been better if you had owned up, paid the fine and shut up without the silly words. By the way I now know you are a singer/songwriter. I hope, like Phoenix, your career may rise from these ashes.