THE mad march of political correctness goes on - now with the children's nursery rhyme Three Blind Mice being banned by a parent and toddler group because it involves cruelty to animals and could insult blind people.

Goosey Goosey Gander has also been axed by the Kiddies Zone in Maidstone, Kent - on account of the violent line about a man being thrown down the stairs.

But Baa Baa Black Sheep, a ripe contender for a P.C. clobbering, remains - after being blessed with "racial balance" in the form of a new verse about a white sheep.

Of course, there is plenty of evidence that the chanting of these rhymes by generations of kids down the centuries has turned out hordes of bloody-thirsty, animal-maiming, blind-baiting, racist youngsters, is there not?

No, there isn't. It's just that we live in fear these days of interfering prodnoses who see insult and harm where none exists - and none is given or received.

It's the same sort of thou-shalt menace which has caused Gloucestershire County Council to replace "accident blackspot" signs with "accident hotspot" ones for fear they might be deemed racist.

But shouldn't these bossy busybodies, who go about telling us how we must talk, be told not to talk daft themselves?

If it was up to me, I'd hotlist the lot of them.

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