Double Blank
Fr HE criticism has often been made of civil I servants that, living as they do in Whitehall, they lose contact 'with humanity. Of one minis10:, we hoped, this could not in fairness be said : 111 Home Office, constantly preoccupied as it has to be with the seamier side of life, from punters and publicans to prostitutes, ponces and pimps.ludgc, then, of our surprise when we saw evidence Hansard of the Home. Office's ignorance about one of Britain's oldest pub pastimes. The Undcr" Secretary, Mr. Vosper, told the Commons c't Tuesday that 'he was advised' (presumably by the, Home Office) 'that dominoes is not a game 01 pure skill.' Mr. Vosper is presumably thinking of common, or nursery, dominoes; perhaps III' advisers have never progressed beyond that Magi.' But have they never heard of the many variant;; such as 'Fives and Threes,' to name but 011c' Admittedly there is a certain amount of luck at the .draw, just as there is in bridge; bin in Five` and Threes, as in bridge, a good player can make a bad hand just as profitable, if he knows how play it (Mr. Vosper should consult his colleague lain Macleod if he is in doubt on this point). But the final insult, to those of us who have enjoP:J a small but steady income from dominoes over the years, lies in Mr. Vosper's statement that though dominoes is a game of chance, bar billiards is to rate as a game of skill. Bar billiards! This is an insult that cannot be allowed to g° unavenged; and. we will be glad to entertain Mr. Vosper, when his parliamentary duties allow, to show him proof positive double, for skunks) that amended forthwith, or a perpetrated.
(at a penny a point, the Bill ought to be grave injustice will be
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