Lords and Ladies ...

The landed gentry. What an extraordinary bunch they are. Inheritors of wealth and privilege down the centuries, large piles in the country, educated at the best public schools and finished off at Oxford or Cambridge. With few exceptions you do wonder what they actually contribute to the nation.

Titles such as Lord, Earl, Duke and Baronet. Somewhat anachronistic in the 21st century. At least we've moved away from doffing our caps to them, but some just seem to feel the world owes them a living. We've also moved away from installing them automatically in our second level of Government. The Lords may be rich in tradition and costume, but to automatically assume that someone is capable of reviewing Government legislation just because of a title they inherited was not a sensible approach. Spot the elderly old duffer falling asleep during a debate in the Upper House.

Well, they're not going to disappear anytime soon, so we'll keep popping in every now and then when they throw their estates and homes open to the public, and we'll keep chronicling their wealth and excentricities, and we'll certainly poke fun at such easy targets.

Q: How many Lords and Ladies does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: None. One has a butler for these matters. Remmington? I understand from Cook that a lightbulb has gawn in the drawing room. Could you organise an electrical fellow to change it. Oh, and not that ghastly chap we had before. Simply no manners at all.