If we have to take sides, I’m with the ladies.  Ghandi, when asked what he thought about western civilisation, replied that it was a distinct possibility – I feel the same way about sexual equality.  Men will catch up eventually; we just have to be patient. There has been endless stuff in the news this week about male misbehaviour and quite a lot of snide remarks asking why women didn’t report it.  By and large it was because it wasn’t it crime, it was pathetic.  We reacted, sometimes several times a day, with derision.  It called for a put down not the police.

I share the response of Julia Hartley Brewer on this one.  One flabby, hopeful hand is not a reason to send for the smelling salts and my favourite method was to smile regretfully and tell the offender that unfortunately I didn’t date outside my own species. Obviously time had to be allowed for them to work out what this meant but the light generally dawned.

Men tend to be simple, staggeringly vain creatures who often seem to genuinely believe that they’re in with a chance even when the object of their misplaced desire is clearly out of their league.  They’ll try it on with someone from a Premier club when they’re never going to get out of the kick-about-in-the-park level.

And now we get to the but …  the elephant that no-one wants to mention. In any organisation there is at least one little minx who will stop at nothing to get to the top and that means trading sexual favours.  No doubt we can all name several now successful women who have taken this path.  Men are to blame for falling for it but it does tend to give the rest of us a bad name and a misleading picture of what the normal woman will tolerate.  (My top tip for dealing with these woman is to become their best friend as quickly as possible and get them to put in some pillow talk about your need for a pay rise.  And on the plus side they have access to great gossip).

There is clearly work to be done on both sides.  I am truly appalled to discover that pressure has been put on complainants of serious sexual assaults to keep quiet.  This must count as abetting a crime and should be prosecuted as such.

We can sort this out, people.  It’s not rocket science.   Let’s get started.