I am vexed by interesting questions

From time to time I am vexed by interesting questions. For example, I have recently been wondering how a one-armed man washes his oxter...

I also wonder why Wendy Alexander claimed £763.75 in public money to print her constituency calendar in 2005, then raised sponsorship of £2,500 for the calendar in 2006, and £3,000 for it the year after. I've come to the conclusion that she must have put out a massively better calendar in the two later years. I can't think of any other explanation...

I'm even more perplexed by her Register of Interests where it says she received 2 donations from the Phoenix Car Company (£300 for the calendar and then £995 for her leadership campaign) between September and December 2007. Surely she should have declared that to the Electoral Commission? Paragraph 10 of Schedule 7 of the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 says that two donations in the same year which add up to more than £1,000 should be declared. That would be another breach of the law - but I'm sure there's no intentional wrongdoing.

And then there's the question that's really confusing - when do you send out an MSP's newsletter? Well, Wendy paid for one in October 2005 - £659. That was all for that financial year.

She did much better the next year - £600 for a newsletter in October 2006, £1,270.18 for bus adverts in December 2006, £103.63 for bulk mail delivery in February 2007, £1652.40 for newsletters in February 2007 (had to be delivered by February 28th to stay inside Parliament's rules), £1,590 for bulk delivery in April 2007. £5,216.21 for the year then.

She hasn't got round to doing one since the election. I suppose she must be tired?

£659 two years before the election, £5,216.21 in the year leading up to the election, nothing since. I do hope Labour's membership isn't falling too much.

Now, this one-armed man ...