I must admit I am a bit of a lazy reader on the internet.

I visit numerous news sites each day but I usually only scan the headlines or at the most read the first few paragraphs of the more interesting looking articles.

I expect a lot of other people are the same as me, which makes me wonder how many readers actually make it down to the bottom of some of the stories on News Shopper’s site!

Anyway, two particular articles caught my eye yesterday and made me want to read more.

The first was about Britney Spears being the most searched-for term on the internet, according to figures released by Yahoo.

Maybe just by mentioning her name in this blog we might get a few extra hits – though any visitors will no doubt be disappointed when they discover there are no pictures of the scantily-clad pop star here.

Anyway, despite not having released a record in ages, Britney remains the number one search term on the web – not just the most popular celebrity, but the most searched-for item overall. Never mind terrorism, poverty, global warming – it’s Britney all the way.

Other female ‘stars’ also feature in the top five of search terms – Shakira, Jessica Simpson and Paris Hilton.

Wrestling TV network WWE is number two – quite appropriately.

I wonder what the early pioneers of the internet make of this. I expect they are delighted their fantastic creation for providing information and communication to the world is being put to such good use.

After all, isn’t it a comfort to know the internet is such a valuable resource to all those pervy Britney fans desperate to find out about their idol’s latest knickerless partying antics?

The other story which caught my eye, and upset me even more than the Britney one, was about a survey which shows almost three-quarters of employers in this country have banned Christmas decorations for fear of offending staff from other faiths and being sued.

It’s hard to put into words how dismayed I am by this, and how truly sad it is.

Political correctness, whatever that actually is, has completely taken over everything we do these days, and is well on its way to ruining what for generations has been a wonderfully enjoyable time of year for people of various beliefs.

For a start, what have a few baubles and bits of tinsel got to do with religion anyway? Yes, decorations are loosely linked to a Christian festival, but decorations are more of a tradition than a religious statement. And, come on, how could anyone seriously take offence?

This country has gone PC, bureaucracy and litigation crazy.