Esau is an hairy man ...

I look at the current fashion for designer stubble, straggly beards and the like, and I despair. In every walk of life slovenliness is rampant. I will be the first to admit that I hate shaving, and I have always hated shaving - and there are days when I don’t shave. And then I look in the mirror, or Ann makes a gentle comment, and I see the grey stubble and hate it.

Growing a dark, luxuriant beard is almost a rite of passage in Cyprus, as it is in many Mediterranean countries, and the beard must come as early as is possible. That is as cultural as the incredible moustaches many older Cypriots exhibit. However, watching U.K. television and the true scale of the decline of standards in British life is very apparent.

It may be a sign of ageing but I do not like it. Some men undoubtedly suit this style but, when I see the unkempt nature of others, I mentally grimace. Joe Root, the England cricket captain, is a case in point. If he doesn’t shave for the next ten years he will never manage to grow a decent beard. But he persists with his straggly offering and looks ridiculous in the process.

Even more ridiculous, and this has nothing to do with facial hair, is the position of the British Government and their lack of political nous. I have never despaired as deeply in my adult life when I see Boris Johnson floundering like a beached whale, as he seems unable (or unwilling) to deal with events in an honourable fashion. Cypriot friends hoot with laughter as they discuss the mortal plight of their former colonial masters.

Imagine being trapped in No 10 Downing Street with no power to influence the course of events, having “spaffed” your majority at the behest of that poisoned dwarf (your political adviser) and then being at the mercy of that cretin Corbyn and his communist apparatchik. There is a hell on earth, so it seems.