Melissa Kite has an article in the Speccie magazine retailing what might be considered a heart-rending story about her parent’s plight caused by the decision to build HS2 and the resultant attempt to ‘lobby’ our politicians. While one can sympathise with the plight of Kite’s parents, they are but two people among hundreds of other households suffering similar hardship where HS2 is concerned.

Fraser Nelson has taken George Osborne to task for telling porkies over cutting the deficit, yet appears to turn a blind eye to other porkies politicians have told. As with Nelson, so with Kite – both convey the message that our political class ‘govern’ us, when the reality is the complete opposite.

As a journalist Melissa Kite has access to reams of information – and a little ‘digging ‘on her part would have enabled her to realise that she was wasting her time. Yes, she may well get compensation for her parents but contrary to the views of some politicians to whom she spoke, HS2 will be built – it has been so ‘mandated’ by Brussels.

Those of us who have ‘fought the state’ in one form or another can testify how difficult and time-consuming it is. Where HS2 is concerned one can be forgiven for thinking that the appeal process has deliberately been made as difficult as it appears because the political class cannot revoke the decision. As with so many aspects that affect our lives, appeal processes are but a means of throwing a veil of democracy over a decision taken by others and in which we as individuals had no part.

If Melissa Kite had any true journalistic instinct she could, by means of ‘digging’, have shown that this country is but a ‘rotten borough‘ within the European Union. As it is, she attempts to fly a kite – and unsuccessfully at that.