On an idea from the splendid Croydonian Chiswikite, let’s consider what is taking the mood of the country today; what is leading the news, what is driving our hopes and fears, what is – basically – the topic du jour. And the answer is…aliens.

Yes, the proof is in todays “Most Viewed” widget of the Daily Telegraph website. The day that Gordoom called a General Election after 13 years of flushing the country down the toilet – bringing the country to its knees and daring with a gall beyond satire to use the theme ‘don’t let the Tories mess it up’.

or to put it another way:

• Probably an alien
• Naked women
• Aliens. Both of them.
• Aliens.
• Aliens. Ask the excellent LoneStarParson here.

Focusing on the standout news item of those five, we learn that:

Organiser Ty MacDowell, 20, said the protest in Portland, Maine, was aimed at showing the double standards in the state of Maine. Men are allowed to walk down the street shirtless but, although not illegal, women are too afraid to go topless.

Police gave the two dozen women an escort as they bared their breasts for a stroll through Maine’s biggest city. Hundreds of onlookers, mostly men, turned out to watch the topless demo.

MacDowell said she was upset that many of the men were taking photos on their mobile phones at the spectacle. She said: “I’m really upset by the men … watching it like it’s a parade.”

Maine has some of the most relaxed nudity laws in the US. Women are allowed to go topless, but very few choose to strip off for fear of being ogled. Maine’s nudity laws only come into action when men or women expose their lower half.

Speechless. In a roundabout way, there should be a hat-tip to the Chiswickite for that story.