As I predicted, England has been knocked out of the World Cup. It was a decent win by Germany; England was decently outplayed and decently defeated. With that said, why is my neighbour still flying the England flag?

I can only assume he paid a fair amount of dosh for the flagpole and can't bear to take it down. I must say, it was amusing watching him on Sunday when he appeared from the sanctity of his frontroom and slumped down onto a plastic chair in the garden, holding his head in his hands as the England flag hung listlessly from its pole fifteen foot above his bald pate. Amusing but sad, I suppose.

Still, he's only got another four years to wait for glory. Then again, we know he will never see England win the World Cup in his lifetime, don't we? He's about 35-years-old, by the way.

In light of England's humiliating slaughter at the feet of the superior Germans, you would be forgiven for thinking he'd taken the dreaded flag down by now. After all, he flew it at halfmast until Sunday, for obvious reasons. They say you can't keep a good sucker down and my neighbour is no exception to the rule. Perhaps he should put himself forward as the next England manager. Then again, I don't think even I would inflict that punishment on the poor, misguided, soul.

I tolerated the flag during the tournament because I didn't want to be a killjoy, but now the fiasco is at an end, I think it is time to take some action.

That is why I am going to telephone the council tomorrow and ask if my neighbour was granted planning permission to erect his pole in the first place.

I think that's fair, don't you?