Notebook

In 1969, after much scholarly research, pope Paul VI decided to remove 46 saints

from the Roman Catholic calender. This

was because it was doubtful if they had ever existed. The name of one Roman saint, which I have forgotten, turned out to be not even a noun but an adjective. The reform seemed to me at the time both insensitive and unnecessary, like Mr Peter Walker's abolition of the old counties of England. It may be somewhat absurd to venerate an ad- jective, but an adjective that has been venerated for centuries must surely in time acquire the attributes of sainthood. It seem- ed cruel of the Pope to kick away so many ("Ili. the props which had supported the re,ligious devotion of his flock, just as it was cruel of Mr Walker to destroy that old jum- ble of counties which, however ad- ministratively irrational, had contributed so strongly to the Englishman's affection for his country. Among the saints to go, for ex- ample, was Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travellers, whose image adorns the dashboards of most cars in southern dEurope. Another was Saint Barbara, our defence against thunder and lightning. We are left feeling rather unprotected. I e, theref ore see no harm in the proposed .anonisation of Princess Grace of Monaco enough

People feel an urge to venerate her She would look even nicer than Saint Christopher on dashboards and might Pro' th

v2 an encouragement to careful drivig. ,e idea is not so outrageous. She didn at least exist, she was a dutiful wife and dPrincess, and she was, so it appears, evout. At least I remember seeing her once n television — Stars on Sunday, I think - sfitting next to a candelabra and reading v ,,r,o1.11 the Bible. The trouble is that the

atican is nowadays very finicky. It would

into her life but proof of at least two miracles carried out through her intercess- slon. Even if evidence of miracles is discovered, there might still be difficulties. Shortly after her death I had the good for- tune to be seated at dinner next to Miss

talk about, asked Miss Bacall if she known Princess Grace. 'Oh, yes,' she replied. 'She was a truly good

w°11.ian etc etc. I had read so many adulator obituaries in the press that I began to feel slightly irritated. 'Surely,' I 'am, 'she cannot have been so completely perfect?' Miss Bacall looked pensive. 'Well, there was a time in Hollywood when I

t ink I had better not go on.

Iwas feeling quite reassured about the sawstate of Mrs Thatcher's health until I , Tuesday's Daily Mail. The Prime s,er s propaganda organ was pro- 'ees

htilthg' too much. 'Maggie picture of said `front-page headline over a

report which began: 'A fighting fit Mrs Thatcher yesterday dismissed rumours that she had health problems following her eye operation.' So I made a point of watching her on the television news during her of- ficial visit to Holland. While she looked perfectly well by the standards of most of us, who have never had her sort of energy, she did not give the impression of being 'fighting fit', There was something a little hesitant about her movements, and in an in- terview with a television reporter she ap- peared unusually subdued. She did not once interrupt or overbear; she just responded, as most people do, to the questions she was asked. Why also, until recently, has she been so silent on the subject of the Soviet Union and the Korean airliner? She seldom allows President Reagan to outstrip her in anti-Soviet rhetoric. Perhaps she has come to realise how pointless such rhetoric is if it cannot be followed by action. Or perhaps she has just been feeling understandably tired. In any event, if she is not feeling her best, I don't think it matters. I don't understand why politicians consider it so necessary to appear at all times in peak con- dition; why do they protest so violently if anybody suggests they are off colour?

n an article last week in the Times 1 entitled 'When intolerance must trium- ph', Mr Roger Scruton called for measures to silence the Paedophile Information Ex- change. He was arguing that 'the pursuit of children for sexual purposes' was so evil and despicable that its advocates should be deprived of the right to discuss their desires in public. I share his distaste for the whole subject, but I wonder what the point of silencing these wretched people would be? Would it lead to a reduction in sexual of-

fences against children? I doubt it, for the vast majority of those with these disgusting inclinations are presumably ashamed of them and terrified of being exposed. Those who are prepared to discuss them in public, by making themselves objects of public revulsion and of interest to the police, are infinitely less likely to be able to commit such offences with impunity. Behind Mr Sermon's proposal to suspend free speech in just this one area lies the implication that paedophilia, and the child pornography that naturally springs from it, is uniquely evil. The special abhorrence which people feel towards it is due to the fact that it cor- rupts innocence and exploits vulnerability. While this is true, it is strange that people make such a sharp distinction between child and adult pornography. Many of those who would advocate capital punishment or castration for child molesters also watch scenes of rape and sexual humiliation on their video recorders night after night. The truth is that all pornography exploits and corrupts. Yet Mr Paul Raymond, the owner of an adult pornographic empire, was a guest at a Downing Street reception during Mrs Thatcher's last administration.

As television becomes more and more boring, the Government is considering a proposal to make it more boring still. The Ministry of Transport believes that it might be a good idea to show on the screen the names and addresses of persistent drunken drivers. This, it is hoped, will bring other would-be drunken drivers to their senses. Apart from the sheer tedium threatened by this proposal, it is also objectionable as an extraordinary invasion of privacy. Having paid the legal penalty for his offence, the drunken driver would then be held up to public ridicule. He could easily become ex- posed to the attentions of every sort of crank and busybody — not to mention burglars. How dare the Government even contemplate the idea?

am pleased to find that the excellent.

Liverpool-based organisation 'Peace through Alcohol' is still active. 'Peace through Alcohol' has for some time been arguing that it is unnecessary to drop nuclear bombs on Russia; it proposes in- stead that the West should 'saturate Rus- sian positions with vodka'. As evidence that this policy would work, it has sent me a press cutting from the Times about what happened to a squad of homesick Russian soldiers in Afghanistan. Isolated near the western Afghan town of Herat, they got drunk and, in this excited condition, drove off in their tank to the centre of the town. On arrival they were immediately ambushed and killed. It is ridiculous of the Americans to pour away Russian vodka as a protest against the shooting down of the Korean airliner, They would do better to return it whence it came.

Alexander Chancellor