Diary: Beckhams 'better than Brown'

Published on Sunday 23 March 2008 21:29

MOST people would prefer David and Victoria Beckham to run the country rather than Gordon Brown, a survey has claimed.

But the PM can rest easy in his bed – he is still more popular than Jade Goody, Amy Winehouse and Kerry Katona.

The son of the Kirkcaldy manse came fourth in a list of the worst people to lead Britain, with 11 per cent of the vote. Those questioned said Goody (23 per cent), Winehouse (16 per cent) and Katona (14 per cent) would be the worst leaders. But Katie Price (formerly the glamour model Jordan) and Peter Andre received just 9 per cent, and just 6 per cent said David and Victoria Beckham would be worst.

The backing for the Beckhams came in a survey which also found Britons are losing a sense of national pride and rejecting traditional pastimes.

Two-thirds of 2,122 people questioned said Britain no longer leads by example. More than half said they did not think the country was as powerful internationally as it was 50 years ago (thanks, Sherlocks), and 57 per cent admitted they'd considered moving, or wanted to move, to another country.

Just go, then, just go.

Passport to confusion

NEWS agencies got their adjectives in a twist when writing about the US State Department officials fired for looking at the passport file of Barack Obama. The first story from Reuters said: "There is no indication that there was any political motivation. It (appears to have been] prurient interest." However, "prurient" is defined as "unhealthily or excessively interested in sexual matters", so God only knows what might have been in the Obama file.

The word was later changed to "imprudent" interest, though the cheek of it suggests to Alba that maybe it should have been "impudent" instead.

Music for the wee monkeys

LET'S hear it for Monkey Music! Alba loves the name of the pre-school music group, named winner of the Best Toddler Development Class in the What's On 4 Little Ones awards 2008.

The awards, sponsored by children's food company Organix, are in their second year and celebrate the best pre-school activities, as voted for by parents.

Monkey Music introduces music to very young children (from three months to four years) in a way they easily understand and enjoy. One of the women behind MM Edinburgh, Rachel Huggins, sounds like she should start a spin-off group called Rachel Huggins' Hug-Ins.

An offer we cannot refuse

ALL credit to Mainstream Publishing for doing its very best to make a book launch interesting. An invitation to the Edinburgh launch of AGD Maran's new tome, Mafia: Inside the Dark Heart, to be held at the Valvona and Crolla emporium in Edinburgh on Thursday, says: "All guns to be left at the front desk. Positively no violin cases."