DAVID Mellor is an unpleasant person. His foul-mouthed rant at a taxi driver revealed him to be an arrogant, pompous, rude, offensive snob.

If that wasn’t enough, his threats to use his radio show to name and shame the cabbie proved he was also a bully quite happy to abuse his power.

He’s got form too. A few years ago he was caught sneering at a foreign chef about his “ten quid an hour job.” Not nice.

And who can forget that infamous garden gate photo – where he dragooned his wife, children and in-laws into posing as one big happy family after he’d been caught out in an affair? The marriage didn’t survive. What a surprise.

He kept telling the poor driver all about how wonderful he was – ex-cabinet minister, award-winning broadcaster, QC etc. Insecure, wouldn’t you say?

Interesting that he was on his way back from Buckingham Palace where his companion, Lady Cobham, had received the CBE. Maybe he didn’t like being outshone by a woman...

But at least we know who David Mellor is. His face and his comments – and reaction to them – have been all over the media this week. Nowhere to hide.

Unlike internet trolls...

Everyday, trolls say much the same sort of things as David Mellor said. Often worse. Even the comment columns of respectable organisations are littered with vicious, twisted comments designed to humiliate and hurt their victim. Even parents of dead children are not immune from social media attacks – which probably makes a London cabbie an almost legitimate target.

Some of the worst offenders turn out to be otherwise respectable and intelligent people who spew out their nastiness in safety because they have the cloak of invisibility and anonymity. If only they could be outed too.

In the meantime, if you’re ever tempted to post a nasty, abusive comment safe in the knowledge that no one knows who you are, just remember that you’ll sound EXACTLY LIKE David Mellor.

That should make you stop and think.

Modern grannies

Well, that’s the Pope off my Christmas card list. Speaking at the EU, he said that Europe had basically passed its sell-by date and needed to be re-invigorated. He compared its lethargy with “a grandmother, no longer fertile and vibrant.”

Excuse me? Throw us out on the tip why don’t you?

Pope Francis, normally pretty much on the ball, surrounded by men as he is, clearly doesn’t meet many modern grannies.

Probably just as well now – or he might discover just how vibrant their opinions could be...

Buying blind

My husband had never seen our house until the day we moved in.

I’d found it, viewed it, talked to the seller, done the deal while husband never worried his pretty little head about it, apart from signing on the dotted line.

And apparently he’s not alone.

According to an online estate agent, one in five men have agreed to buy a property without seeing it, just on their wife’s or partner’s say-so.

Wise men. Very wise men.

Snow bother

So who’s really dreaming of a white Christmas? Not me. All that snow is not so much of a dream, more of a nightmare – especially when we live at the bottom of an ungritted hill.

But for weeks now our TV screens have been sprinkled with snow and lots of jolly, rosy-cheeked children wrapped up in boots and scarves and gloves – all quite bizarre while the rest of us were enjoying the mildest autumn for years. You can tell this strange ideal has all been invented by city dwellers who are rarely inconvenienced by the white stuff. According to the Met Office we get a “proper” white Christmas about four times in 51 years. Quite enough thank you. Our usual recipe is rain, mud or fog.

But remember Christmas 2010? Christmas Day was all blue skies, deep snow and sparkle. Perfect.

Unless, of course you were still camping out at Heathrow waiting days for a flight. Or were stranded in your car, wheels spinning, going nowhere. Or had no electricity or even water. Or were left with a pile of food and no visitors. Or stuck at home with nothing more festive than a cheese sandwich.

Smaller Son, who’d been to a party up the dales, nearly went back to London dressed as Father Christmas because he couldn’t get home to change.

So you’d think four times in 51 years was more than often enough really.

But our fascination with the white stuff never leaves us. In recent years we’ve had a whole new industry providing snowy wonderlands – fake landscapes with fake snow, fake elves, fake Santa’s workshop. Some of them have been disastrous. The latest one closed the day after it opened. Too muddy. Too real. Too much like winter.

Yes, snow can be magical and I love it – but not when one half of the country is trying to visit the other half.

White Christmas? You can keep it – I’m dreaming of something nice and dry and probably grey.

Dragon tattoo

Getting your ear pierced was the sort of thing you used to get done then go home and tell your mum. The Beckhams do it differently.

When 15-year-old Brooklyn went to Claire’s to get his done for £45, mum Victoria went too. And brother Romeo and dad David. A real family outing.

Possibly bonkers, but actually quite sweet.

Backchat: No respect for Christmas

Dear Sharon

Totally agree with you about the Sainsbury’s Christmas advert. As for the British Legion benefiting from and supporting such a shallow portrayal of events from World War One, are you really surprised or disappointed? Was this year’s British Legion Service of Remembrance not bordering on the fringes of theatre and entertainment?

When I hear children talking about Christmas lists and what they WANT for Christmas it angers and saddens me. When I was a young lad, sensible parents (there were quite a few of them) would listen carefully to what you might hope for; then found the cash to give you something as a surprise on Christmas morning. They probably left out one or two of your “larger” wishes, just to gently remind you that you can’t have everything.

Not sure whether many parents even think that way these days. They just go completely over the top and then start planning their family summer holiday.

Alan Jackson Tudhoe Dear Sharon Thank you for your article mentioning both the unsolicited Red Cross mailings and the Sainsbury’s advert. I agree with you wholeheartedly on both points and thank you for being brave enough to say so publicly.

Susan Webster by email