As I write, the result of the general election has been confirmed as a hung parliament, and it is not yet clear who will form the government. While pundits babble, let us take pause, and note that 6 May 2010 will go down in history, or at least in the Hooting Yard Book o’ Days (which amounts to the same thing) as the day Lembit Öpik lost his seat. Note that umlaut!

But as we hang our heads, and weep, remember that every cloud has a silver lining. Mr Öpik is now free to concentrate on other things, and I fully expect him to pursue a glittering media career. In a few weeks time, we will be unable to turn on a television or radio or i-hub without seeing the Estonian Anagram (bile möp kit?) presenting, for example, “The Lembit Öpik Meteorite Collision Show, With Russian Bimbos!”