Skipper

I read in the paper today that a punter has bet £200,000 on David Cameron winning the Conservative Party leadership contest on 5th December. If he wins he stands to gain £8000. Seems a lot to risk such a sum for a gain which is one twenty fifth of its whole. But perhaps it illustrates that there might be something in the aspiration of a gambler friend who despairingly declares: 'If only I had enough money to bet PROPERLY'[needless to say he loses heavily]. Eight grand would do very nicely for most of us who punt only on the Derby and Grand National but I wouldn't fancy selling my house to raise the wherewithall.

It also shows that Cameron is now a dead certainty to win. As if we had not gathered. But I wonder if the bookies might offer odds on other things which seem certain but which have at least a Heisenburg degree of chance about them. Like whether it will rain before Christamas? Or whether the sun will rise on the morrow. Mind you, if it doesn't there won't be much chance of either collecting one's winnings let alone spending it.