Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone

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The death of a monarch who has reigned for 70 years is bound to lead to a solemn time. And it was inevitable that the cancellation Liberal Democrat Conference would be cancelled once the date of the Queen's funeral was announced, as I have already argued.

That said, I find the argument put forward by Sarah Olney on Lib Dem Voice - that holding our conference would somehow imperil the peaceful succession of Charles III - bizarre.

And this enthusiasm for cancelling events to display our grief - or perhaps to avoid criticism - can go too far.

One example is the Last Night of the Proms. Yes, a traditional Last Night would have struck the wrong note, but surely it would have been possible to put together a programme of music that would have expressed the national feeling?

Another example is the cancellation of children's football. Taking part in a minute's silence before the game would have given the young players a memory that might stay with them for the rest of their lives. 

And, besides the fun of playing, they would not have given up all the benefits football brings from exercise to a bit of male attention in lives that can lack it.

Ours is now a safety-first society, and that has its costs.