Good morning, everyone! Yes, everybody’s second favourite bureaucrat is back, with more to amuse, engage and challenge our readers. Caron thinks that I’m unavailable today but, if you promise not to tell her otherwise, I’m sure that we’ll get away with it. I will be slipping away for a PCR test later, so moderation might be a bit slower than usual today. Bear with me…

Iain Duncan-Smith thinks that I should get off of my Pelaton and get back to the office. Apart from the fact that I don’t own one (and at upwards of £1,350 plus £39 per month, I don’t think it likely that many civil servants will, given the median Civil Service salary was £28,180 in March 2020), does the location of my desk really trump my efficiency?

Admittedly, this does come from the man who said in the House of Commons in the debate on the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill that;

if there is anything about this arrangement that we have not now debated and thrashed to death, I would love to know what it is.

And, of course, one of the advantages of not wasting money on commuting into a town or city to work is that I spend more money locally, as I suspect many others are doing. I feel a piece coming on…

On this day in 1882, that remarkable woman, Eleanor Roosevelt was born. A serious political player in her own right, a campaigner for civil rights, and a founder member of Americans for Democratic Action, whose youth wing were a sister organisation to the Young Liberals back in the day. The first woman to walk in space, Kathryn Sullivan, did so on this day in 1984 and, on this day in 1962, the Second Vatican Council opened. Admittedly, my own archdiocese wasn’t wildly keen on what came out of it…

So, what do we have for you today (so far)?

Michal Siewniak has met with one of the Afghan refugees that Priti Patel has “graciously” allowed into the country. Not surprisingly, reports suggest that the Home Office is doing its usual excellent execrable job of managing the lives of those who supported our brave troops in Afghanistan.

Layla Moran has called out Rishi Sunak for his imagination in finding new and inventive ways of cutting our aid to countries and peoples in need. As usual, it’s the rich wot get the pleasure, the poor wot get the blame…

And it was a good Noble Prize season for liberals, something that you probably didn’t notice.

So, let the trumpets sound, for we’ve got a website to run!