I no longer repent that I bought Irene her Ipod touch on impulse. She listened to all three leader’s debates on her Ipod this morning, and was hugely amused at the Oxford Union style of debating. Nick Clegg interrupting to ask, “Yes or no, yes or no?” Come on, Nick, life isn’t that simple.

Her other observation: “They may have said umm, umm, but they did not say, “Ya” even once.” We are trying to rid her of her new speech tic of punctuating phrases with an enthusiastic “Ya,” as it’s infecting the rest of the family.

And we’re succeeding, ya; we really are, ya. Isn’t that great, ya?