My post last Thursday promised a heresy the next day. My apologies to those disappointed to find nothing since then.

I”d expected to do it by Blackberry, but that link was inserting different fonts and print sizes at random, and I’ve been away from a PC.

The heresy will follow, but I must mention an email National Radio’s Jim Mora received but did not read to his Thursday afternoon listeners last Thursday – I think because he is a gentleman and always respectful to his Panel, at least on air.

That was the first time I’ve been face to face in his Auckland studio.  My usual experience, sitting alone in a darkened Wellington studio responding to voices in your headphones was left to fellow guest Richard Griffin.

I enjoy Richard’s company but had no idea he was the other Panel guest till I turned up at the Auckland studio.

It may have been a good thing that we were not together in Wellington. Jim might have lost control. We can both talk without stopping, and despite friendship Richard and I can always find things on which to disagree.  Occasionally he has to bow to the memory of his father, a left wing activist. I think Richard’s father might have been one of those rare beasts in New Zealand – a card carrying Communist.

That would have interested at least one listener. As best I can remember her email went along the following lines

"So your guests are Stephen Franks and Richard Griffin. Was Genghis Khan otherwise engaged"

Teasing out our leftist temptations might have been a more interesting topic than our confused references to Bach’s establishment of ‘equal temperament’ that took up the first quarter of the Panel’s hour .