Obiter is indebted to former lord chancellor Chris Grayling for at least one thing. We now know what a peace pebble is. According to Grayling’s declarations of hospitality, he received a silver-plated one, worth £140, from the French justice minister in February last year.

We are also thrilled to learn that Grayling is a Dr Who fan. Among the items declared between October and December 2012 was a screening of the Dr Who Christmas special on 18 December 2012. The episode, entitled ‘The Snowmen’, saw the time lord investigate mysterious, sentient snowmen that are building themselves. The snowmen, it turns out, are being animated by the Great Intelligence with the help of one Dr Simeon.

As a fellow Dr Who fan, Obiter would love to know what Grayling made of the episode (does he see himself as the time lord or the Great Intelligence?). Grayling must feel like he’s been living through a Dr Who episode for the past few months, what with the current justice secretary turning back the clock on his policies.

Topics