Ringo Versus Jeffrey

The brilliant Daniel Finkelstein has, with typical assiduity, been testing a Downing Street system that attempts to give some popular respectability to our hopelessly debauched honours system. His method is to start a campaign to give Ringo Starr a knighthood. Today he gives ten reasons why the loveable moptop should become Sir Ringo. For me, number ten is the clincher - 'Ringo has an MBE. Jeffrey Archer has a peerage.' Case closed, I'd say, and, while we are on the subject, I fancy a dukedom. Meanwhile, Jeffrey has been busy. He is to be involved in two television shows. Plainly his rehabilitation programme is going well. Yet, sadly, success seems to have gone to Jeff's head and a jarring tetchiness has appeared in his blog. Both his last two posts end on a sour note. 'Fortune' concludes with the wholly unjustified implication that Lord Foster's wife is an airhead- 'His amusing wife had only one interest - seeing if I could get her tickets for The Sound of Music.' Ouch! And 'Last Week's Update' insults the organisers of one of his charity auctions - 'The auction raised £61,500, and frankly the audience were very generous, because one or two of the items would have been hard to sell at a car boot sale.' Double ouch! What happened to the charming, modest, tongue-tied, thoughtful Jeff we used to know and love?