My inbox this morning contained this peach: "Why are you lefties such a bunch of po-faced killjoys?"
I presumed, as is my wont, that I'd done something to invite this enquiry but couldn't for the life of me think of anything that had happened on the show this week that might fit the bill.
Baffled, I checked the subject box and saw the legend 'Top Totty'. I hadn't clocked the political affiliations of the female MP responsible for having a beer with this name banned from the House of Commons bar but it seemed fair to presume she would be of the Left.
And so I realised that my correspondent had a point. Why is it usually people of the left who get involved in either a.) endeavouring to protect others from possible offence or b.)sticking their oar into matters that are none of their concern and seeing offence where there is none.
The answer, I think, is that left-wing people legislate for other people - people who are, usually, less fortunate than themselves and often, of course, theoretical. If the theoretically offended people don't actually exist then the accusation of being po-faced killjoys seems pretty fair!
The reason right wing people don't tend to get involved in such matters is that they are generally interested in themselves and legislate mostly to improve their own situation not that of a notional or actual stranger.