I mean, its a bit ironic, innit? One minute we’re all Charlie Hebdo and defending the right of free speech with (literally) the dying breath in their bodies, and the next we’re sacking a Nobel-winning professor for some slightly misplaced jokey comments.

Sir Tim Cole said, in a speech, that ‘women in science labs only produce 2 outcomes; they fall in love with the males, or vice versa, and they cry when criticised.’ Ha, ha. Ok, not very funny but in the right context I’d giggle. There again I’m a simpleton and spend most of my days giggling at inappropriate times. Or I’d have giggled because the comments went down like a dead weight in the company of hypersensitive women scientists, no doubt frustrated by their inability to ‘bag’ their professors in romance and still crying over his last critical criticism. And as we all know, political correctness has no sense of humour whatsoever. It is in fact the diametric opposite of humour and takes offence at every innocent comment. That’s its job. To find insult in every word spoken and elevate the most innocent statement into never-intended abuse or discrimination.

The other problem was that this speech was made in Korea. And I’m not sure how ‘subtlety’ translates into that language. I know they have many words for ‘silly haircut’ and ‘death penalty without a trial’ but dry humour would cause problems.

Leave the man alone. Give him his job back. Because by kow-towing to this kind of righteous indignation, University College London is making itself look stupid and sycophantic. They should listen to Tammy Wynette and stand by their man.

Today’s my wedding anniversary. They tell me its 29 years. Which is impossible because I’m only 27 years old. And I’m not sure that ‘the perfect marriage’ is ever a total reality, but if it is, then Mel has one. She’s a very lucky woman. Mainly because I’m so forgiving. I forgive all the times she’s cleared up my mess after me, the countless meals I’ve let her cook for me, the endless washing that magically appears in a neat, clean pile the day after I’ve dumped it in the hallway, bathroom, lounge, kitchen, garage. The balance, the quid pro quo, is that I’m the technical department. Which means I can diagnose problems with her phone (it needs charging, darling), with her computer (you need to plug that in, sweetness), with her car (the key goes in ‘this’ way round, petal). And thus we have balance, we have accord, we have love. As I said, she’s a lucky woman.

Happy Anniversary

A xxxx