Sports Calendar

Merkel, too, was underestimated at the start yet is proving to be a highly successful Chancellor, given the constraints of having to work in coalition with the Social Democrats. Dismissed by Helmut Kohl as das Mädchen (the girl), she has transformed German foreign policy, raised the retirement age and reformed the health system, all in just over a year. One American diplomat is rumoured to have said that “Merkel has the biggest balls in Europe”.

And what about Hillary? There’s no doubt that she has the ability to be President. You can’t fault her brainpower. And she has cleverly addressed voters’ worries about any lack of national security experience by serving on the Senate armed services committee. What’s more, Bill will be there in the background — more likely foreground, actually — radiating all the charm and charisma that she finds it so difficult to project. It would be two for the price of one.

If Obama beat her to the nomination, I wouldn’t be too disappointed. Either would have a good chance of breaking the run of 43 white male presidents who have run the US. Given that only 39 per cent of American voters are white and male, they have dominated the landscape for far too long.

Maybe neither will win the presidency, though. If the G8 summit in 2009 consisted of, say, John McCain, Gordon Brown, Nicolas Sarkozy, four more white men and Angela Merkel, it would be more than a shame. It would be a huge lost opportunity.

Restore risk to the curriculum

The last time I found myself completely helpless with laughter was when, after a particularly heavy snowfall, I had a crazy snowball fight with our children. By the end of it we looked like snowmen ourselves, but had tears of laughter streaming down our faces.

So I salute Sir Digby Jones, who told The Times yesterday that schools should stop trying to stamp out risk, whether by banning snowball fights, conkers and science experiments or by avoiding competitive sports, with their associated risk of failure.

Education is supposed to prepare children for the world beyond. For the rest of their lives they will have to compete with colleagues, take risks, brush themselves down after a failure and start again. That’s what they should be learning at school.

And meanwhile, if — as promised — the world is white this morning, let them throw snowballs at each other until the tears run down their cheeks.

Wrong amount

Thanks to the many grammar grouches out there who agreed with my irritation at the substitution of “less” for “fewer”. It’s encouraging that some Sainsbury’s stores have now changed the wording at their express tills to “ten items or fewer”.

So can we please join forces on “number” and “amount”? I get so cross when I hear the phrase “amount of people”. The other day I was walking down Charing Cross Road and saw a shop entitled “Any Amount of Books”. A bookshop? A business devoted to literary pursuits? It beggars belief.

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