Radio Ga-Ga

I'm not sure that I should bother taking issue with the witterings of a right-wing buffoon like Simon Heffer.
But, in a discussion on the Tory leadership on Radio Four, he's just said 'if you go to places like Norfolk and Suffolk, people there aren't interested in things like gay rights.....'

This vividly illustrates the different planet that Daily Mail columnists are living on, even though they claim to be 'in touch with what ordinary people are thinking'.

Does Heffer think there are no gay people in Suffolk and Norfolk? For they at least are going to have some interest in gay rights.
Indeed, for gay people living in those counties it may be a more pressing issue than for those whose local pub is in London's Old Compton Street.

Presumably, there are also straight people in those counties who would prefer to live in a society that did not discriminate against people on grounds of their sexuality.

Believe it or not, there are even Labour voters in Norfolk!
The good people of Norwich South managed to rise above the miasma of medieval superstition that usually rules their lives and elect an MP (Charles Clark) who supported a gay age of consent of 16.

If I lived in one of those counties I'd be even angrier at Heffer's prejudiced, patronising comments than I am now.

*****

One of the great things about radio is that you can listen to it anywhere in the house and whilst you are doing other things.
The downside of this is that the noise of running a tap, cleaning your teeth or doing the washing-up can blot out words and phrases leaving you astonished or bewildered by what you think you heard.
This morning I was startled to hear someone say that the painter Lowry used to work as a rent boy during the day.
They had actually said that he worked as a rent collector.
The other day Peter Mandelson appeared to say that the trade negotiations with China were a bitch.
Crikey, I thought, that's rather camp even for you, Mandy.
When I heard the same interview later I found he'd actually said the negotiations had hit a glitch.
Does anyone else have this problem?
'Problem' is perhaps the wrong word. It often takes me into a world of surreal humour which makes Radio Four's Today programme more bearable.

*****

SHORTS UPDATE: you will be relieved to know that the garment referred to in yesterday's descent into trivia fitted reasonably well.
The risk of fall-out was non-existent because not only do they have no fly but they are secured with a cord. This makes them highly unsuitable for anyone who drinks as many cups of tea as I do, leading to long and annoying fumblings in the bathroom.
And no, Mike, they are not actually made of plastic. I believe them to be made of synthetic, imitation acrylic.
But I only wore them for an hour because I found the sight of my white thighs aesthetically offensive.
The solutions are:

To start wearing them early in the summer.
To apply an instant tanning lotion to my legs.
To put them somewhere I'll never find them again.

NEXT WEEK: I find an old floral kipper tie and cause hysteria in the village library.