Stop Press: Two Young(ish) People Are To Marry

Heavens to Betsy. I found myself nearly retching as I listened to The World At One regale us with the news that two young(ish) people are to get married.

This republican will say no more of it other than that if in this era of relentless public austerity, a single penny of public money is spent on the farce, it is a kick in the teeth for the long-suffering inhabitants of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Excuse me while I take time out to boak some more...incidentally, after a decade of supposed austerity, official figures show that total central and local government spending in the UK is calculated as £1,962.9bn. The corresponding figure in 2007 was £1,405.8bn. I calculate roughly that that represents an INCREASE of around 40%.

Bear that in mind the next time you hear about cuts in government spending and austerity...