Peter Rhodes: The torment of hope

MORE on the battle of the sexes. A reader tells me he regularly greets his wife at the door with:"I'm afraid there's been a terrible accident involving all the things you asked me to do today."

WHEN the Millennium came, I assumed we would close a door on the horrors of the 20th century and look to the future. The reality is that every anniversary of Mons, the Somme, Ypres, Dunkirk or D-Day spurs new fascination. As we saw from this week's Passchendaele ceremonies, there is more interest in the dead warriors of the 20th century today than ever there was when they were alive. How bitterly unfair that so many old Tommies passed away believing their Great War had been forgotten.

A FASCINATING and well-reasoned letter in a national paper seems to prove that the average new electric car produces twice as much climate-changing carbon dioxide as a petrol car. But such is the political rush for all-electric transport that warnings like this are drowned out. Twenty years ago, when diesel was being hailed as the saviour of the planet, how many dissenting voices were ignored? With a little more foresight, we wouldn't need hindsight.

AND there's another issue. At present, when we buy a conventional new car, we know roughly how much it will be worth second-hand. Does anyone know the trade-in value of an electric car after a couple of years, and whether the cost of new batteries will be more than the vehicle is worth? There is a golden four-letter tip for acquiring new technology such as this. Wait.

AS the funeral of little Charlie Gard approaches, we can at least give thanks that the poor mite died quickly when his life-support was switched off. It doesn't always go like that. Patients sometimes live for days after the machine is disconnected. And then what? Would Charlie have been refused fluids until he perished slowly of dehydration? Would his desperate parents have spent this week clinging to the belief that, somehow, he might yet pull through? Despair is a terrible emotion. But as this drawn-out tragedy shows, the real torment is hope.

AMPUTATIONS, public stonings, legally-enforced rape, child abduction. Some pundits claim The Handmaid's Tale (C4) was the most harrowing TV drama ever. Hardly. Over on More 4, Outlander is about to plumb unspeakable depths of depravity. Flipping ahead with the DVD set, I've never seen anything like it. Outlander is described as brand-new drama. The brand in question is red hot and steaming with human flesh. You ain't seen nothing yet.

A THICK embossed envelope arrives inviting me to "an exclusive seminar in your local area" by a "wealth management" firm. Turns out to be in Leicestershire, 28 miles from my front door, which is not exactly what I understand by "local.". If their geography is rubbish, why should I trust their maths?

INCIDENTALLY, I see the attractions at the "wealth management" seminar include coffee and Danish pastries. I fear those may be the most expensive Danish pastries some poor suckers ever eat.