In a week where Iceland once again exploded on to our screens, we are warned that in late autumn this year, like a prediction from the 16th century apothecary Nostradamus, Armageddon could be upon local authorities – in the same year that Nostradamus predicted the Third World War.

This news is perhaps as welcome as the back spin on [golfer] Lee Westwood's 18th approach shot in the recent PGA Championship at Wentworth, the outcome of both being putting us in a place we do not want to be and at a cost we might not be able to afford.