My intention was to get down on paper another vitriolic state of the nation tirade before I jetted off on a week’s holiday to the glamorous Suffolk coast but, in the best line John Lennon ever wrote, “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”

Before I leave, however, I feel I should point out that a fine of £175,000 for shooting somebody seven times in the head and once more in the shoulder, at point blank range, while he was being held down by someone else, in a public place, in a manner that contravened the nation’s laws, amounts to £21,875 a bullet.  (There’s a management consultant somewhere who’ll tell you that’s a reasonable commercial risk to assume…)

It is also a full £55,000 less than Metropolitan Police Commissioner “Sir” Ian Blair earns in a year.

With each day that passes before somebody finally prises “Sir” Ian’s fingers open to prevent him from clinging to his office any longer, he earns more than £630.

Most electricians, I suspect, earn less than £630 a week.

Assuming they’re still alive to ply their trade, that is.

If you need any more proof that this country has become a morally bankrupt Chancer’s Paradise where nobody is accountable for ANYTHING, it is that “Sir” Ian Blair remains in employment today.

And with that I’m off, meaning that the Ministry is likely to be quiet for the next week or so – though I welcome all contributions, SMIPs and general abuse in my absence – and look forward to catching up with you all soon.

In between a lot of sleeping, eating, drinking and watching DVDs, I’m hoping to fit in a bit of writing while I’m away (including a few SMIPs for future publication) so I may come back with all guns blazing in the run up to the Ministry’s first anniversary on 28 November.  (You never know, I might even get round to putting a new lick of paint on the place to mark a year’s existence.)

A toute a l’heure.