Just how stupid are the people that govern and micromanage our lives? If the actions of Antonio Nunes, the head of Portugal’s equivalent of the Food Standards Agency, are to be judged, the Portuguese must be suffering from a particular degree of ineptitude not seen in this country since John Prescott hung up his croquet whites.

In addition to telling Portuguese people what they can’t eat, Nunes’s job also includes telling them where they can’t smoke. And, since New Year’s, that’s included any bars, cafés, restaurants, and casinos. So, you’d think it would occur to Senhor Nunes not to light up in a casino in the early hours of 1st January to celebrate the new year. You’d think so, but you’d be oh so wrong.

Apparently, he didn’t realise casinos were covered by the ban, and has said, “We will have to look into what is in the law”. I don’t know whether it’s more fun to believe him or not. If he was aware, he’s a crook. If he wasn’t aware, he’s an imbecile. The laws we have rammed down our throats are only as good as the people responsible for upholding them, and whether in Bloomsbury or Braga, it seems as though there’s always going to be one constant: there’s rarely a good man amongst them.