After The Sun put its weight behind the Conservatives earlier this year, Radio 4 broadcast a vox-pop piece on The Today programme. The reporter was at a caff where lorry drivers pulled in for a cuppa, somewhere north of London, and asked blokes who were carrying a copy of The Sun about this switch of allegiance.

I remember many of them saying that The Sun is just-a-bit-of-a-laugh-newspaper and not to be taken seriously. Most of them bought it for the sport section and didn't even read the front bit. Except for page 3 and then I think they weren't reading but just keeping abreast of things.

I don't buy newspapers generally but will flip through The Sun if it's left on a seat on the train. It reminds me very much of a newspaper that was published in Australia by News Corp. Everyone knew that the name of the paper was ironic. It was called, "The Truth".

My favourite sun headline of all time was the day after Elton John tied the knot with his long-term partner David Furnish. The headline was…


“ELTON TAKES DAVID UP THE AISLE”

As a gay bloke, this pun was right up my alley.
(With tip-top thanks to General Sir Anthony Cecil Hogmanay Melchett VC DSO KCB from Blackadder Goes Forth for paraphrasing one of his lines.)


Melchett: Interesting thought. Make a note of it, Darling! Take a look at this: "King & Country".

Blackadder: Ah, yes, without question my favourite magazine; soft, strong and thoroughly absorbent.

Melchett: Top-hole Blackadder, I thought it would be right up your alley.