This week's opinion: 5 December 2024

I had a delightful evening at the theatre last week seeing Opera North’s splendid production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s Ruddigore. The hero the splendidly named Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd becomes obligated under the family curse to commit one crime a day for life. He’s a timid and shy man who is hopeless at doing wrong. So when he is quizzed by the ghosts of his ancestors about his crimes he fails miserably. Here’s an extract from the dialogue:

Sir R: On Tuesday I made a false income tax return.

All: Ha! ha!

First ghost: That’s nothing.

Second ghost: Nothing at all.

Third ghost: Everybody does that.

Fourth ghost: It’s expected of you.

Although income tax at the time of the first performance was only eight old pence in the pound (reduced to seven pence during the initial run of...