Running on empty

Let’s get one thing clear right from the start. Drinking wine every day is bad for you, okay? Even so, isn’t it reassuring to hear French president Emmanuel Macron defend his drinking habits against the puritanical finger-waggers? Macron says he regularly drinks wine with lunch and dinner, and denies it’s a problem. The splendidly named “L’Academie du Vin” is delighted, claiming that wine is a “part of French civilization”. Doctors, naturally, beg to differ, because the only thing they hate more than people drinking too much is people thinking too much for themselves.

Personally, I’d much rather have a sozzled leader than be subjected to yet another selfie of Leo Varadkar in running shorts. All that money the Taoiseach’s throwing at his controversial new Strategic Communications Unit, and still none of those well-paid advisors has apparently pointed out to him that no one likes a show-off. Leo should ask for a refund.