Apologies, kleptomaniac, Jackson and burqas...

The rabbit apologises to his readers for the recent stony silence. I think that though it is partly due to various demands on my time but it is probably also on some level a catching of breath and taking a little rest from blogging. But here are a few things to be going on with. The cheeky chappie on the left above is Václav Klaus. He is President of the Czech Republic and was on an official visit to Chile when the above clip was shot. Mr Klaus likes pens. He plainly likes them a lot . Now watch what he does. One wouldn't want to use ugly words like 'steal' but he is being just a little naughty. Apparently the population of the Czech Republic have taken pity on their pen-challenged President and are sending him gifts of pens in huge numbers. An ironic statement by the population, I can only conclude...

This is old news in the UK (well about ten days old) and a bit like shooting fish in a barrel but for the benefit of overseas readers here we go anyway. The pile of junk above is of course a truly bad taste statue of the late Michael Jackson. It cost £100,000 and has been erected outside Fulham football ground by Mohammed Al-Fayed - owner of Fulham Football Club and big mate of the deceased monkey fancier. The - erm - connection is that Jackson once went to see a Fulham game with Al-Fayed. Unsurprisingly, this object has not been universally well received. If I were a Fulham supporter, I'd be incandescent.

Al-Fayed has grumped back. 'If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift this guy gave to the world they can go to hell' he pronounced with typical moderation. 'If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else'.

Hell is one thing, but threatening to send people to Chelsea is a bit uncalled for...

Al-Fayed has previous for putting up statues. Here's one he stuck up in Harrods in 2005 showing Dodi, Diana and feathered friend. It further proves the truism that just because you have money doesn't mean you have taste.

More immediately in time terms - since last Monday to be exact - it has been illegal  for people in France to cover their faces with a burqa, a niqab - or indeed a hood or a mask while in a public place. The penalty is a fixed financial penalty and - absurdly and bossily - attendance at a course on French citizenship. The rabbit's position on this? I'm against it. I am neither a woman nor a muslim and cannot understand why anyone would wish to go about thus attired. But I cannot see what business of the state it is to tell people what they may or may not wear in the street. Just as Thomas Jefferson observed 'it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg', it does me no injury if my neighbour wears a burqa, a niqab, leather hot pants or just a few strategically placed feathers.

I can see the argument that in many instances burqa wearing is not genuinely voluntary but the result of  social pressure - including severe social pressure but I fail to see what the countervailing severe pressure of a blanket prohibition adds to the situation - except creating a kind of double victimhood. I can't imagine that the French law will survive a challenge to the European Court of Human Rights either. We shall see...