The dream comes true

AFTER my recent item on Donald Trump's alleged fear of staircases (bathophobia), a reader dug out a 1970 booklet owned by her late mother, a former psychiatric nurse. It listed no fewer than 94 medically recognised phobias. Today, 47 years later, Wikipedia lists 154 phobias and admits its list is incomplete.

IF the name fits. My eye was caught by the byline of a columnist writing about world politics in the Daily Telegraph: Charles Krauthammer. Love it.

A POLITICIAN on the radio was saying how reassured he was by the police tactics in tracking and detaining alleged terrorists before they commit murder, as in last week's incident in Whitehall. I do not share that view. It all seems to hang on knowing exactly where the potential killer is heading and what he plans to do. And as most of them turn out to be utterly deranged, that's an awful lot of guesswork. Get it right and you nick him just before the killing. Get it wrong . . .

I'M surprised how little comment there has been about a fascinating moment in the Commons. It came during last week's Prime Minister's questions when Jeremy Corbyn began his series of letters submitted by members of the public. It started amid the usual bear-pit hubbub as Corbyn read a letter from Christopher. It seems Christopher was worried about how he and his husband could make ends meet. After a couple of seconds, the penny dropped and absolute silence fell. It was as though someone had mentioned Nelson Mandela. Christopher is one of that increasing number of blokes who are married to other blokes and none of the 650 MPs was going to risk saying anything. I wonder whether Corbyn chose Christopher's letter deliberately, to extract a guffaw or howl of laughter from some of the more backward Tories. He dangled Christopher like a cat owner dangling a fluffy toy. A Tory-tabby backlash would have been worth a few votes, but the silence that descended was instant, and total.

OUR changing language. “Progressive” seems to mean any party or coalition which doesn't include the Tories. It is not surprising that this attractive, forward-sounding word has been hijacked by the Left. But it is odd that the BBC has started using it without qualification. Auntie is supposed to be impartial. She is very strict, for instance, about using the term “so-called Islamic State.” So why not report on “so-called progressive” politics?

AFTER last week's unveiling of a man-carrying drone, a personalised jet pack is launched upon a gawping world. This is the future coming true – at last. Back in ye olden days, everyone assumed that flying would become like driving, a personal affair with a car/plane hybrid on every drive and a runway in every neighbourhood. It never happened. Instead, the flight industry was taken over by gigantic companies using vast airports. Drone technology and other breakthroughs offers us personalised aviation. In a decade or so, the rich will be flying from home to office. They will probably bitterly resent having to pay taxes to maintain our highways. Asphalt? Never touch the stuff.

PEDANT corner. I am fully aware that “breakthroughs” in the above item should probably be “breaksthrough.” It just looks stupid.