Typical. I've run out of stuff in my cupboards. No matter how organised I try to be I always forget something on my trips to the supermarket. So once again I scramble around for the last few coins in my pockets and head for the shops in an optimistic mood. Turning the corner that leads off the main road and along a pedestrianised street, I cou;d hardly fail to notice the crowd of supermarket employees stood around chatting and enjoying the sun, not to mention a few cigarettes.

I wonder what that's all about? A company outing? Are they off by coach to some theme park somewhere and spend the day in politically correct corporate happiness? Come on, surely not a major supermarket chain. Don't they know there's a recession on? No, the whole concept is too surreal. There must be another reason.

A shortcut through the alley and the ground level truck access to the shopping centre, and the wide asphalt ring road is filled with groups of retail uniforms like armies assembling for battle. A line of refugee shoppers wait with folded arms outside the darkened supermarket. This does not bode well for my shopping. The policeman was too stern faced and busy to approach for information, but a shopping mall security guard shrugged with stereotypical indifference and told he me hadn't a clue what was going on. I knew that much already.

Well it blew over before too long. The glass frontages didn't shatter from suspicious bags left at the checkout, and the firemen were left to carry on washing their trucks or laugh at passers by, or other such fireman-related activity when not called upon to risk their lives in burning supermarkets. The good news is that eventually my shopping was completed without injury or incorrect change, and I finally had enough toilet paper to relieve my ever increasing anxiety.

Political Agenda of the Week

I see that David Cameron, leader of the Conservative Party, has announced that under their rule there will be no more unelected Prime Ministers like Gordon Brown, and any politician coming into the job without public mandate must hold a general election within six months. You know what? For the first time since the Falklands War, I'm going to say something nice about the Tories. They've actually thought up an excellent idea (even if I did highlight this travesty of british politics some time ago in this blog - Glad to see you've been reading it Mr C ). Do it. Just do it.

Still haven't forgiven you for that Poll Tax fiasco though.