Awkward Questions

I remember chatting to Claus von Bulow at a party long ago. I was carefully avoiding any mention of his wife when some bloke came up and plunged straight in - 'How's the wife?' He was perfectly happy to discuss the state of her health and, indeed, the charge that he poisoned her. The moral is: always ask the awkward question because it probably isn't. The next time I run into Gordon Brown I intend to ask him if he really does have a ping-pong ball in his mouth.