Directed democracy

There is a rule amongst barristers and interviewers that you never ask a question that you don't already know the answer to. Unfortunately, politicians never seem to learn it and therefore keep getting answers they don't want. For example, a few years ago a New Labour MP went on BBC4 and asked listeners to tell him what legislation they wanted and he would introduce it in the Commons. To his horror, the overwhelming majority wanted the return of the right of homeowners to defend themselves against intruders. The sound of backpedaling was deafening.

Now we learn that Deputy Prime Minister Nicholas Clegg doesn't listen to the radio. With the usual battiness that one comes to expect of the Liberal Democrats, Mr Clegg set up a website where visitors could nominate the New Labour legislation they wanted repealed. And then the numbers came in. Was it some obscure business regulation? Something about anti-terrorism laws? Nope. By an incredible margin, the demand was for the smoking ban to be lifted.

Lo, and did Mr Clegg run away quickly and silently.