My favourite story in today's paper was about Baroness Scotland employing an illegal immigrant.

The irony of this situation is simply outstanding.

Baroness Scotland helps pass legislation that makes employers liable to quite punitive punishments is they are caught employing illegal immigrants – even if they didn't know the employee was in the UK illegally

This is in spite of warnings from business leaders that it is grossly unfair to punish those that unknowingly employ illegals.

Baroness Scotland's defence appears to be she didn't know her housekeeper (her employee) was in the UK illegally!

Can't wait to see for the forthcoming prosecution and fine…………………

I don't really follow football very closely (just enough to be able to make polite conversation) so the innovation of introducing extra officials in something called the Europa Cup has quite passed me by.

Until that is the Everton manager started whinging that he is largely in the dark about the plan and hadn't been consulted.

Aside from questioning why managers should be consulted, I would suggest that there are several glaringly obvious reasons for extra officials.

2 that immediately spring to mind are

(1) Too many of the overpaid prima donnas who play professional football are systematic cheats

(2) UEFA is sick of listening to the whining of managers and coaches about refereeing decisions that have gone against their team.

65 years ago today saw the start of Operation Market Garden – the western allies' disastrous attempt to capture the bridges over the River Rhine and it's tributaries in Holland.

Many people will have knowledge of this 9 day battle (17^th – 25^th September 1944) from watching Richard Attenborough's film “A Bridge Too Far” (or as the critics renamed it “An Hour Too Long”)

Briefly, the plan was to land British, American and Polish airborne infantry behind German lines to capture and hold the Rhine bridges whilst XXX Corp advanced along highway 69 to relieve the lightly armed infantry.

The plan unravelled very quickly. This was no great surprise given the short amount of time spent on detailed planning, the lack of viable military intelligence (is that an oxymoron?) and the fact that the drop zones were adjacent to the rest area of a couple of SS Panzer Divisions.

The airborne troops and in particular the British 1^st Airborne Division under General Roy Urquhart suffered massive casualties.

Urquhart is famously quoted as saying he took 10,000 men into Arnhem and brought 2,000 out.

It is surprising that Field Marshall Montgomery, who was usually very careful in avoiding high risk / high casualty operations went ahead with Market Garden.

His reputation in previous battles, most notably in North Africa, was for meticulous planning and for trying to minimise casualties – at least for his own troops. Doubtless this was a result of Monty's battlefield experiences on the western front in WW1.

Why then did he proceed with a decidedly dodgy operation?

Perhaps he was trying to compete with General George Patten who was delivering great successes with his 3^rd US Army or perhaps he knew that the available logistics would only support one main advance (that inevitably would be American) and he was trying to deliver a British led “grandstand” operation.

Whatever the reasons, Market Garden has been judged by history as an ambitious, optimistic (or foolhardy) operation that destroyed the 1^st Airborne Division as a fighting force for the remainder of the war.

What can't be doubted though is the courage shown by the airborne soldiers involved and the ongoing gratitude that the Dutch people continue to demonstrate to them to this day.

It is sad to see that Keith Floyd has passed away today.

Floyd was perhaps the first of the “modern” genre of TV chefs with his highly idiosyncratic style and effervescent personality being ideally suited to television.

I still enjoy watching reruns of his old shows on the satellite channels and have, on occasion, been inspired to have a go at his recipes.

Floyd has brought a lot of pleasure into peoples lives over the last 25 years and the world is a slightly worse place following his passing.

There was a classic example on the Andrew Marr Show this morning of how a politician can spin a reply to a question without actually giving an answer.

Ed Milliband's interview was, in part, about the energy deficit crisis that is facing the UK

Marr asked Milliband when the next new British nuclear power station would be open.

Milliband replied that the “plan” was for it to be opened by 2017 – and the interview moved on.

Isn't that brilliant!!

The question wasn't answered and then Marr (surprise, surprise) didn't push Milliband to say when he believed the station would actually open – not what the “plan” projected.

I may be corrected in this, but my understanding is that the shortest length of time a “modern” (i.e. none Magnox) British nuclear power station has taken from starting construction to delivering power is 7 years.

Given that the numerous planning, public enquiry and procurement processes have yet to begin for a new nuclear station then Milliband's 2017 “plan” looks optimistic (or put another way totally unrealistic).

Marr “fed” a few questions about future energy shortages but then just let Milliband run off a series of prepared politically correct replies.

Milliband gave a load of waffle about alternative energy, carbon capture coal power stations etc and Marr just let him get away with it.

A more challenging interviewer could have really exposed the shambles of our energy policy and the frightening consequences we will face in the next few years.

However, that certainly isn't Mr Marrs way, especially when “interviewing” a man being tipped as the next Labour leader.

I understand that Marr's political sympathies are with New Labour but it is increasingly obvious in his interviews that he isn't prepared to really challenge socialist politicians.

I find myself comparing Marr unfavourably with Brian Walden.

Walden had been a Labour MP (1964 – 77) but when he interviewed a politician (of any party) he would be merciless with his forensic questioning to try to obtain a straight answer.

An observer would have found it hard to guess Mr Walden's personal politics – perhaps Mr Marr should try to emulate him?