And so, with events in Turkey, our new foreign secretary has already had the opportunity to test his mettle. I had wondered if he would bestride the world like a colossus, pouring oil on the troubled waters of the Bosphorus but I have yet to hear any official pronouncement from him. Perhaps this is wise. Perhaps Boris has now retreated from the policy of merry quips and one-liners that have previously distinguished his approach to public policy. Unfortunately, his earlier conduct in office has provided a rich fund of photographic evidence and Twitter is full of witty memes showing a girning Boris lacking the gravitas traditionally associated with the face our nation shows to the world.
Away from the world of international politics, am I the only person to think that a great deal of public money has been spent on erecting pointless signs along the side of motorways? I seem to recall 50mph limits being in place for lengthy periods whilst these were being installed, with the inevitable inconvenience for motorists. And what vital function do these signs fulfil to justify this expense and inconvenience? They tell us the price of fuel in motorway service stations along the way. Given that the price of fuel in such places is anyway vastly inflated, don’t most prudent people buy fuel before setting out? Given that the price hardly seems to vary by more than a penny or two in each location what exactly is the point?