I HAVE disliked being described as an expert in any subject ever since the 70s when my boss conned me into writing an article to be published in a pamphlet issued by the British government, the Canadian government and ICI.

As a result of corroded steel branches failing underneath, the contents of an anhydrous ammonia rail tanker were spilled inside a railway station area in Canada, causing people to be badly affected by choking ammonia fumes. On complaining that my agreement had not been sought or obtained for the article to be published I was told in no uncertain terms that the company had paid me while writing the article and that made it their property. For many years I was under the illusion that my pension fund money was my property, but it turned out that wasn’t the case either. Talk about being diddled.

Walt Jackson, Llantrisant