IRONIC, isn’t it, that the candidate who has least chance (actually, let’s be fair, not a snowball’s chance in Hell) of winning the Salisbury constituency is the one whose reported remarks resonate most with me.

And, I suspect, they would with most voters.

“Politics is broken,” said that well-known Druid, King Arthur Pendragon, at a hustings on Sunday chaired by the Bishop.

“Parliament is totally, spiritually and morally at a crisis. I don’t trust a single politician.”

I’m sure even the Right Rev Nicholas Holtam said a fervent “Amen to that” under his breath.

But mistrust of the usual suspects nationwide can’t bring about a result more representative of the great mass of Britons because our outdated first-past-the-post system doesn’t allow for that.

And look what happened when any kind of coalition was last tried. The LibDems propped up David Cameron’s lot. The minority party got blamed for everything that went wrong and the Tories who had stitched them up got in again! Cynicism par excellence!

To be fair to John Glen, he agreed on Sunday that it was “disgraceful” to be forced into a general election by the inability of Parliament to solve the Brexit question. Darned right.

He also declared it essential for the Conservatives to get a majority and deliver Brexit “so we can move on to other things”.

It’s those “other things” that worry me, John, once we no longer enjoy the benefits of European membership and are desperate to strike trade deals with whoever will have us, regardless of the environmental consequences.

I missed this particular debate due to my mother’s illness. But I hope to get to the next one.

n Meanwhile I’m pleased to see that Wiltshire Council is launching a campaign entitled We’re Targeting Flytippers. They are a perishing nuisance – I mean the flytippers, of course. What made you think otherwise?

And a cracking good idea to offer £200 in shopping vouchers to anyone who dobs them in if it results in a successful prosecution.

But whose bright idea was it to abbreviate the campaign title to WTF? Has that person ever sent a text message?

Anyway, I’d like to suggest somewhere the litter snitchers could spend their winnings.

Well done to Home Bargains, which is giving all its staff Boxing Day off “to ensure you are able to spend time with your friends and family”.

I wish all our stores would follow their lead.

A few hours without anyone buying anything won’t bankrupt the country. I suppose the problem for High Streets is that the competition, in terms of online retailers, will carry on regardless.

But I can tell you one thing for free. There’s nothing more important than your family and health. So be glad of them and make the most of them. Shopping can wait another 24 hours.

anneriddle36@gmail.com