Yakking for Argyll

“Manchester is the city of rain,” Nemanja Vidic said, “… its main attraction is considered to be the timetable at the railway station, where trains leave for other, less rainy cities …”

And he’s been roundly criticised, hounded and, eventually, told to recant his words as being misquoted. Pity, it is not often that I’ve laughed out loud at a quote, especially one from a Manchester United Footballer. Sportsmen have often been derided for being dull witted, but this one, who seems to have more than the statutory ounce of intelligence, has been rounded upon for wit. I can’t help thinking that he is probably paraphrasing Dostoevsky, or more probably Chekov and most of the British Press have missed it. Would that not be an irony?

Oh no, but of course, we British don’t do irony any more, unless of course its the eight minute segment of our presentation at the closing ceremony at Beijing: showing the world how London scrambles for its buses.

Oh no, but of course, that was farce. Irony is something the Americans do, isn’t it?