And that, I’m afraid, is something we’re in danger of losing sight of. There is all the difference between bad, inconsiderate and callous behaviour, and rape. It may be that when the police have finished investigating the claims, they’ll decide to bring charges against him, and then we can have the matter addressed in court. Until then, it may be worth remembering that nothing has been proven against Mr Brand, though it’s probably fair to say that you wouldn’t want your daughter to be the third Mrs Brand if there’s ever a vacancy. Notwithstanding all the pundits, most of them female, berating themselves for having let him off with shocking behaviour because he’s a Lefty, there’s an obvious truth that they’re not articulating. And that is, under English law, a man, even an unlovely piece of work like Mr B, is innocent until proven guilty.