Apryl’s uncovenanted sex-change

I don’t know how many of you read the comments on these pieces, but what a surprise Apryl Parcher must have had when John Walters decided in his comment that she must be a man.

Mind you, that’s understandable; A.Parcher could be any sex. I am quite often written to as Mr/Ms/Mrs by people who can’t make up what sex Drayton is. However, Apryl is unquestionably female.

But the exchange between the two reminded me of Bertrand Russell’s observation: “What men seek is not knowledge, but certainty.”

In these discussions it always seems to be a matter of either/or, rather than “both” or “any combination that makes sense”. Either we should have a state-funded pensions system, or a private one, and there is no compromise.

Frankly, I agree thoroughly with H.L. Mencken’s feeling that the older he got the more he appreciated plain old-fashioned competence.

And in the matter of pensions funding – in this country anyhow - what we have seen is plain old-fashioned shiftiness by politicians.

The money that we paid and do pay to fund pensions has been taken and put to other purposes.

This is also true of the taxes we pay to fund better roads, which are used for whatever strikes the government’s fancy.

And a pretty odd fancy it is. The other day Gordon Brown, generous as ever with other people's money when the economy is in deep shit (thanks again, Gordon) decided to offer a few million in aid to Nigeria - perhaps the most corrupt nation on earth. You really do have to wonder whether the man is not clinically deranged.

More to the point, between the time we hand over the money and the time whatever is left goes into pensions, or roads, or Nigerian thieves' overseas bank accounts, a mighty swarm of locusts in public service has been paid - again by us - to manage the process. And again, the government here is pushing forward legislation to prevent local people determining what is built in their neighbourhoods. Who will decide? Bureaucrats we pay.

Who can tell whether private rapacity eats up more than public incompetence? But in this country I suspect I would rather trust people bent on profit than put faith in someone who thought it wise to sell off our Gold Reserves precisely when gold reached its lowest price. Another coup by Gordon “I know better then you what’s good for you” Brown.

I must say, though, going back to the comparison made by John Walters with ancient Rome, that what brought Rome to its knees had nothing to with pensions, and Rome - bearing in mind how many centuries her empire lasted – was surely a damn sight better managed than any state before or since.

What I seriously object to is that our masters today who determine these matters really don’t give a hoot, as their pensions are always inflation-proof. Good leaders share the sufferings of their troops. We have no good leaders.

Lastly, and nothing to do with all this, thank you, John W, for having a go, unasked, at putting my 51 helpful marketing ideas into book form.

What you did was stronger visually than something I had done in my office, and I think maybe I should publish.I was also pretty amazed at what they add up to; a small book! And I get some amazingly flattering comments from people.

As Harold Ross of The New Yorker used to lugubriously remark: "I am encouraged to go on". Come to think of it, I already have, as I think there are now 82.