But he found himself in full agreement with his former geography teacher's remarks last week on the subject of the wording of job advertisements designed to be anti-discriminatory on age grounds.

Pendle Council has been advised by some "jobsworth" (Coun. Greaves's accurate description) it should not use the word "senior" in advertising certain positions as it has connotations with older members of the population, and may therefore be deemed discriminatory.

At a meeting of the council's Executive, Coun. Greaves described this as "politically correct crap" – and that is exactly what it is.

The word senior has nothing to do with a person's age when it comes to job descriptions. It is simply a way of describing the position requires someone to be in charge of a section and the people working in it.

The trouble is that these jobsworths, as Coun. Greaves calls them, try to justify their existence by finding problems where none exist. It is a pity they have nothing better to do with their lives.

Thankfully, the Executive sided with Coun. Greaves and rejected the advice regarding the wording of its advertisements, and the word "senior" will continue to be used when appropriate.

Any other decision would have left "senior" councillors such as Coun. Greaves apoplectic with anger – and Mr Pendle would have had every sympathy with them.


HAS there ever been so much fuss made about a game of football? Mr Pendle refers, of course, to last week's Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea.

For days beforehand, the sports pages of the national press were filled with the build-up to the game, and then on the night itself one television presenter decorated the already over-iced cake by ludicrously describing the occasion as "the game of games, the night of nights".

And if that was not too much, there was the aftermath, with sports psychologists telling us how Chelsea's John Terry would be feeling after missing the all-important penalty which cost his side the cup.

As if it matters. As if anyone cares how he felt. Any football fan with half a brain could work out he was hardly likely to be over the moon, but probably felt as sick as a parrot.

The impression was given that the whole country couldn't wait for the match to be played - but the reality was the vast majority really weren't that bothered.