In a month we will have forgotten about the entire pathetic circus!

Partly true, and partly not. There are enough scandals and dubious dealings that come next month our focus will be elsewhere, and this case will not be in any of the media. So, at a superficial level, it will be forgotten.

But it won't be forgotten by most of the women who have suffered abuse and see their perpetrators escape justice. Nor by Kavenaugh - and the media - when the first difficult judgements come up. Nor by Collins if her "he's a good chap really" speech proves to be threadbare in practice. Nor by those who she wants to vote for her.

Nor, perhaps, in the mid term elections.