News? No, Thanks.

No doubt it was the result of having worked on a newspaper for too many years, but I have long been a bit of a news junkie. But no longer. Like, I suspect, many other people, I am finding 'the news', especially as presented by the BBC, insufferable just now, and am actively avoiding it (last night offered an easy choice – News at Ten or Vic and Bob on BBC4 – no contest). I'm not quite as far gone as Mrs N, who now reacts to the sight and sound of our esteemed Prime Minister like a vampire to a garlic-wreathed crucifix – but the Maybot and her disastrous handling of 'Brexit' is, alas, at the root of my news aversion. It is just so depressing...
 A while back I thought, or hoped, that perhaps I was being a tad cynical in my suspicion that the whole Brexit 'process' was designed to achieve one outcome only – staying in the EU. But it looks as if that is just what is coming to pass: the 'choice' being presented is between the 'deal' – taking us from full membership of the EU to indefinite vassal status – or 'no deal', an option for which no serious preparation has been made. Or just staying in the EU, which is the option most MPs would vote for, if it came to it. Sadly 'handing power back to Parliament'  – the very Parliament who handed the Brexit decision to the people – will likely end in the referendum result being scrapped. I guess it was predictable enough, given that the PM and the vast majority of MPs, civil servants and other arms of the establishment are Remainers – but it's still depressing. So I'll write no more about it.  Ravel's Tombeau de Couperin suite is on Radio 3 as I write this – who needs The World at One?