Back Yard Banter

I have previously blogged to the effect that, if people knew how much talk (both positive and negative) returns to a minister, they might be astonished. Often it is tough for a minister to know what to do with it. Anyway, the point of this post is that such talk tends to return through a few characteristic channels -- and here is one that stands out:  A minister tends to move easily among all classes: upper, middle, and working classes. The working classes have eyes in the workshop, ears in the kitchen, and so on. A great deal of talk (not a small amount), in my own experience, returns to a minister through the working classes.