Well, I seem to have upset one or two local Liverpudlian exiles with my comments last week about the trio of armed robbers who raided Golborne Asda.

It was not meant to tar everyone with the same brush - and didn't. I know there's a sight many more good and kindly people than there are baddies in the Pool, and everywhere has its fair share of villains.

But I would have put exactly the same if it had been Wiganers, Mancunians, Scots, Leythers or whoever.

How do I know what Scousers are like? Because my favourite radio programmes include Billy and Wally, Billy Maher and Brian Jakes, and they do their fair share of hitting at the criminal element which gives the city a bad name.

Liverpudlians seem very touchy about outsiders knocking anything about their home town, but it is OK if they do it themselves

Also my 'sniffy putdown' of the proposal to make more 'Last of the Summer Wine' says something about my lack of humour according to J G Smith of Astley.

He enjoys its gentle slapstick without a hint of bad language, sex or violence. So do many millions more.

But I beg to differ on the last two - and my lack of fun. I pride myself on a good sense of humour, but there again everyone is entitled to their OWN opinion.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.