Nanny Wastes Money Again!

Full marks for Nanny's ability to come up with even dafter ways of wasting our money.

Eric Laurier and Chris Philo, two human geography researchers at Glasgow University, have spent three years investigating the rise of the "cappuccino culture" in Britain, at the taxpayers' expense.

They have come to the stunning conclusion that high street cafes are convivial places, where people go to enjoy others' company.

The cost to the taxpayer of this waste of time and effort?

£140K, paid for by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

Dr Laurier admitted:

"We were studying the everyday life that we all know. The things we are reporting on are things we know already.

There is nothing there that would make you say, 'Oh gosh'".

Among the report's conclusions are that cafes are often nicer places than pubs for women with small children to go to, and that people will stop going if the coffee is not good.

A spokeswoman for the ESRC said that the project was "socially relevant".

A spokesman for this site says "Bollocks!".