To the dismayed American friends over there, I can only say I'm sorry and repeat what I have said before in these pages.

These awful times in history do pass.

we had something very similar with Thatcher. Even now the tv companies are always thrusting money into the hands of her hated lieutenant Norman Tebbit to say awful things about the personal liberation that the mood of the 60's bought to so many of us.

The mood of the people will change, although these right wing demagogues do incredible damage and by their actions, write a thousand new personal tragedies every day. Thatcher so hated the idea of ordinary people having a reasonable sort of life that she orchestrated vast unemployment. nearly two generations of young people grew up with zilch prospects of having a job.

due to Englands rather eccentric polling system, she never had more that 39% of the electorate voting for her, and her supporters were nearly all in the affluent south - or in agricultural areas were labour wasn't organised.

The mood of illiberality will change and there will be a swing away from these stinkers. Their sheer malice makes them totally incompetent rulers and people get fed up with that eventually.