I think everyone's overlooking the one immutable fact in all of this: the lady involved was once (11 years ago from memory) the mayor of the well-known and very significant burg of Shaftsbury. Surely this is enough for all you Doubting Thomas' to accept, as the journo involved did, that this lady is not to be treated as some sort of joke but rather as a source of information of the utmost reliability, as are all present & past pollies.