On Monday night there was an interview on Radio 4's Front Row in which Mark Lawson, while talking to Kurt Vonnegut about his new book, expressed mild surprise that such a veteran author as Vonnegut was still writing. If we were clever, instead of arresting him, we'd have defused the situation by offering him a job modelling for a catalogue. He'd soon lose his ability to shock if it was in the winter wear section, with a caption: "Comfy and casual, the polyester twin-zip suicide jacket is fully adjustable, easy to wash and surprisingly cool to ease those inevitable sweaty moments! (This item isn't available on a weekly payment scheme and must be paid for in full before delivery)." More from Mark Steel. There is a belief that fear of upsetting Muslim sensibilities is the chief problem. Other matters, such as overly bureaucratic police procedures, probably played their part as well. More from Deborah Orr. What's the matter, can't we take a joke? That lad in the suicide bomber jacket was only having a laugh.

What were people getting so over-sensitive about? Even if you didn't like his gesture, surely you agree with the principle that he should have the right to make it. Yet now that Hamza has started his comparatively modest sentence, the great question is: "Why did it take so long?" No doubt there are many reasons for the delays that left Abu Hamza apparently under the impression he had the green light from the authorities to continue with his activities. The conviction yesterday of Abu Hamza, the notorious imam of London's Finsbury Park mosque, is a fitting punctuation to several days of worldwide fulmination over the limits of free speech. In the past, police have complained that our laws are not robust enough to secure conviction for a man such as Abu Hamza. Indeed, only a few days ago the Government failed to get backing for a law making incitement to religious hatred as serious and specific a crime as the incitement to racial hatred that eventually hobbled the extremist cleric.

But identifying the problem - that it is associated with the growth of internships as a way into careers - is a start More from Hamish McRae. The equity matter will be much tougher, for it is not just something that can be fixed by universities or employers I don't think even the Government can do much about it. He has made no secret of his intention that it should be a large part of his political legacy. To add to Francesca's misery, the newspapers reported that Cornelia possibly isn't the first, either. Last year it significantly strengthened its professional services division, which supports law firms, accountants and IT companies, following the £12m purchase of the privately owned RK Group.