They often say that you get the Politicians and the Journalists you deserve. The past few days have brought the opposing poles of the world of British journalism in to sharp focus.

The Leveson enquiry continues, but Charlotte Church's settlement at the High Court today continues to highlight the gross corruption of individuals inside both the media and parts of Government. This is indeed a cancer in our society.

Contrast these tawdry hacks then with another employee of the News International group, Marie Colvin

(C) Daily Telegraph

How could one ever start to imagine that someone capable of enduring such hardship and making the ultimate sacrifice in the name of truth, could have the same profession, even the same union as those scum from Wapping?

We are all far richer because of the contribution that Marie Colvin has made, we need more of her kind and a bit more of the editorial courage and governance that once used to be a hallmark of the Press of a true democratic society.

The move to the common floor-plate is still ahead of schedule, some services seem to be excelling at filling their billets, clearly we can all take some pride in the work undertaken thus far.

In more reflective mood the de-classification of the KH-9 seemed to have passed off without remark over here.
although there was a certain frisson over the preprandial Amontillado when news leaked out at last summer's Medmenham club meeting.

With KH-9 in mind, I was rather reminded of that awful moment during Op MIKADO when a nameless IA told "them" that RHAG was a Navaid at the end of the runway. I had to correct him as my vision of two of 47Sqns finest pilling in to the rotary hydraulic arrester gear as they touched down in Argentina was too much, for even a hardened blunty like me to bear.

One does not know if one should blame the IA in question or their instructor at Wytton?

Must dash, another turgid meeting at Feltham looms