Aren't we so very lucky

At the end of November, readers may recall the dramatic photographs of the massive fridge mountain published in some newspapers, not least the Daily Mail.

We observed at the time that this was yet another benefit of our membership of the EU but now, today, we learn from the Daily Telegraph that we are in for another treat.

In the "news in brief" section, a small article states, "fridge mountain set to subside": the mountain of 100,000 fridges is now to be cleared "with the help of £250,000 of taxpayers' cash."

But do not worry. Environment minister Elliot Morley said this was "an exceptional and isolated case". Until the next one of course.

We did of course have had a perfectly workable system of fridge collection and disposal, which cost the British taxpayer absolutely nothing until the EU and the British government screwed it up so completely.

Aren't we lucky we have such generous taxpayers who are so happy to cough up a quarter of a million readies to bail out the government when it makes cock-ups like this? And to think I spent the weekend in nick for withholding a mere £1000 tax. I might have thought different if I had known the government was going to spend my money on such a worthy cause.