When reality is weirder than fiction.

I have no mileage in whether or not the ex-Chief Whip called a couple of coppers "plebs" or whether, if he did indeed do it, he should have resigned.

 But this is insane:

There's a Japanese film, I think it's called Rashomon, in which different participants who see the same event all have different recollections of it. I wasn't there. I trust Andrew, and I'm always inclined to give him the benefit of any doubt.

Many of the films I watch have little bearing on reality - I wouldn't use them to try and make logical sense of an in-real-life conundrum (that way lies a Media Studies degree ...) Now, eyewitness (Ed notes: earwitness, surely?) testimony is notoriously inaccurate but, what is alleged here is a fairly basic and fundamental difference*.

Anyway ... Grump over. This, also from Gove, is much more sensible:

All of us, from time to time will have moments of exasperation. I think it's probably better you know to swear at the TV or the radio at home rather than at a flesh and blood individual whose job it is to protect you.

* It is entirely possible that the disputed words were said and that Mitchell honestly has no recollection of saying them.