Unique

'We shouldn't pander to minorities,' I sometimes hear people grumble. That's always struck me as a curious expression, especially given the plurality of the word 'minorities'. After all, if you add enough minorities together you may well end up with a majority.

I have no problem with the concept of pandering to minorities, because I belong to quite a few of them. The UK population is about 51% female and 49% male. Being male, I am therefore in a gender minority.

The political party I vote for receives less than 50% of the vote, therefore I'm in a political minority. Strangely enough, this also applies to everyone else who votes.

I detest cheese, but so far as I can tell, most of the people around me have no problem with it. I'm therefore part of a dairy-product-intolerant minority.

There is no-one else in the world who has not only my name, but was also born on the same date, has also been a gardener, a cinema worker, a steel erector, a railway worker, an animal rights activist and a published writer. I appear to be unique. I'm in a minority of one!

And I want to be pandered to.