Eric Blair's or as he is better known - George Orwell's 1984 language is alive and well in namesake Tony Blair's Government.

Where deregulation means more regulation and consistency means inconsistency and the civil servants at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport come up with the following justification for increased and unnecessary regulation for safe and harmless traditions like Morris dancing and sessions.

Ministers have always been clear that the Bill is deregulatory in some ways and regulatory in others but that the overall effect is deregulatory. What the Government wants to achieve is better regulation.

If so perhaps the name should be changed to the Department of Regulation, Regulation and Regulation?

For are we be asked to accept that if the sandwich is filled with rat poison but the bread is fresh, the overall effect of forcing someone else to eat it will be nutrition?

I think not, the only effect achieved by poison is poisoning.