A well-known senior clerk treated The Diary to a forthright exposition on the strengths and, er, weaknesses of the last Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine, during a lunch at the Bleeding Heart restaurant the other day.

The laws of libel prevent The Diary from outlining exactly what pearls of wisdom our guest had to offer, save to say that he is evidently not a member
of the Derry Irvine fan club.