Peter Rhodes on pennies, Oasis and will a new law hunt down women who hate men?
As the Government works on a new set of regulations to outlaw misogyny (men hating women), a reader asks whether, in the interests of fairness, the Bill will also ban misandry (women hating men). If not, will the anti-misogyny law in itself be misandrist?
Who knows? According to an old saying, you should studiously avoid witnessing two manufacturing processes; the first is sausage-stuffing and the second is the making of English law.
One golden legal rule applies. A new law, in order to be a good law, must create more work for lawyers than the old law. I dare say a nice little misandry clause, with a few complex sub-clauses, will keep m'learned friends in good claret for many years to come.
It may be part of the ageing process but I seem to come across more and more headlines that have absolutely no impact on my existence. “Liam and Noel Gallagher confirm Oasis reunion.” It's not just me, is it?
Q: What weighs 2,000 tons, is worth £4 million and occupies 2,000 storage crates, each the size of a washing machine? A: The 260 million unwanted copper coins currently stashed away by the Royal Mint.
Officially, there are no plans to abandon the 1p and 2p coins. Yet there are also no plans to produce new copper coins for a year or more. Frankly, it looks as if the age of pennies is passing. In the meantime, any ideas for getting rid of these fiddly, awkward, little-used coins are most welcome. My gambit is to collect them in little polythene bags and drop them in the hats or guitar cases put out by street buskers. So far, every busker thus rewarded has smiled.
I once spent half a day with a ukulele in the middle of Birmingham, busking for a feature. Three hours' work, £1.30 income.
Of course, I understand the nostalgia argument that pennies date back to Roman times and are part of the history and birthright of this scepter'd isle. But if we can live without battleships, music halls and Carry On films, we can probably manage without pennies.
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