Some years ago, I met a famous Oxford don at a London book party, and he said some shockingly moronic things about America. I wrote something like the following on this here site: An encounter like the one with the don makes me doubly wary — triply wary — of commenting on other people’s countries and politics. We must strive, strive to know what we’re talking about.

I thought of this when reading an article highlighted on Drudge right now. It’s from the Daily Mail, and the reporter writes, “Mrs Palin seems to have ditched the staid and formal ‘hockey mom’ image she appeared to favour during her campaign with Republican hopeful John McCain.” Um, I’ve been to a hockey rink or two in my time, and the hockey moms are . . . not staid and formal. You’re lucky if they don’t slosh beer on you as they scream. And if I ever write the equivalent about Britain — I hope that one of my friends there will demand that I never type about that country again . . .