I wonder what other nations think of the British? Because of late, we’re really learning what ‘we’ think of them. First the Queen calls the Chinese ‘rude’ and then Cameron tells that very same Queen (we only have one) that Nigeria and Afghanistan are ‘the most corrupt nations on Earth’.

The thing is, they can’t get upset because all those allegations are true. The Chinese are fucking rude. All 1.6 billion of them. Not a manner in sight. Pushing and shoving, though not necessarily Her Majesty, spitting all over the place, making demands on state visits, not appreciating the irony of being a communist leader obsessing that the bottled water provided is the wrong brand. And worst of all, they speak Chinese all the time.

I can’t speak about Afghans, I only know one. He makes my coffee every morning and he’s lovely. So I’ve never actually witnessed much ‘corruption’. He doesn’t put skimmed milk instead of semi and pocket the fat difference.

But I do have some experience of Nigerians. Having worked next door to their High Commission for 30 years. Yet its the emails wot dunnit. From my ‘lost cousin’ Obafemi, who wants to launder $35million in my bank account that he’s managed to steal from his government. And I’ll get 5 mil!!!! Honest!!!! Just for being… a schmuck. But we’re not calling some conman chancer ‘corrupt’, there’s no debate. Cameron was calling the country corrupt. Different thing altogether. And their president, rightly, took issue with the comment. As he stepped out of his diamond encrusted private jet (one of 3) and climbed into a solid gold Rolls Royce, probably with Arsenal decals on the red leather seats. And as his country starves, he builds another presidential palace, his 9th.

I wonder what these foreign dignitaries think of the girl, a temp receptionist sent to work at accountants PwC for the day, who was turned away because she was wearing flat shoes and not the ‘regulation’ 2-4 inch heels? Such a thing is not an issue in the wild jungles of provincial Nigeria because PwC don’t have an office there. And with the population there surviving on just over one dollar a day, heels, as such, are not the main issue. Where the ‘rich’ have one shoe.

“ITS SEXISM!!!!” yelled the girl, who went home after refusing to go and buy new shoes. Yeah, it kind’a is. No man has ever been told to wear high heels at work. There again very few women have ever been told in workplaces, restaurants, clubs, that they ‘must wear a tie’.

Dress codes are indeed fairly silly things. But they’re not ‘rape’. They’re not misogynistic, they’re just silly. For both sexes. Women working for me can wear any shoes they like. But must wear a skirt no lower than 9 inches above the knee.

Sunderland survive, Newcastle take the walk to hell along with Norwich. Its almost all over.

Happy thursday

A xxxx