Fellow pedants, rivetted by this absorbing subject I consulted Hutchinson's Dictionary of English Usage and find that I need to eat a bit of humble pie (but not the whole slice): " "None".......in a plural context, both a plural verb: "None of my friends were there" and a singular verb: "None of my friends was there" can be used. In general, a plural verb sounds more natural and unaffected, and is to be preferred."
Pathetic? Not at all, unless you think that words are meaningless anyway. You're not the UK Education Secretary, are you?