I have recently discovered a coat conspiracy of the left type. That is 2 guys who had recently been at my place then left their coats and my views changed in their direction . Ominous. Like everybody else I have various ideas and opinions, prejudices as well as pretty well thought out stuff which could be wrong as well. Two things which I think are not very good ideas are windfarms and party politics. My good mates who have been to my house recently are proponents of both .

So, we have good discussions, well natured and politely disagree. However I recently noticed my line softening a bit. Going past Redcar Bay on the Tees estuary the other day, the power company has finally put in the foundations for the wind turbines. They are sticking out of the sea awaiting the propeller monsters. This would normally raise my ire but I just thought "Oh well it will not be so bad after all". There was a big beef recently all over the media about the Labour Party local election victories. I would normally be pretty indifferent to that but after Joe left his coat I just thought "Good for them".

 I have a sort of bonhomie about these two ideas that I previously was against at worst and indifferent at best, caused by, I believe,  the presence of two coats that have been left behind by my two good mates. The first coat was left by my friend Gaz Robertson who has some good strong views about wind turbines and left politics. His coat is made out of some sort of hemp material and is very comfortable. I know this because I tried it on, after he left it, in fact I was going to wear it for a while but then I thought I better get it back. Which I duly did. Maybe it was the trying on that did it.

The second coat was left last weekend by my mate Joe James, a long-standing local Labour Party politician and good community activist with a pronounced affection for wind turbines although his love tends to be of the "They are not nuclear" type. Still, love it is. I haven't tried Joe's coat on, well it would be difficult because Fiona has already posted it back to him, and he left his scarf as well, both occupying one peg for a couple of days. Hardly enough time, you would think, to influence a strong headed soul like me. But it did.

Well the truth is, the only thing which I can find which has softened my thinking and attitude towards windfarms and party politics are these two coats. Is there some left conspiracy, because it can be safely said that both of my mates are on, in, and from the left. There is no doubt about this. They know there is no chance of me changing my views because the only person who ever does that is me but like everybody else I am open to suggestion, although logic and good thinking might succeed. Then again the mysterious leaving of the coats has softened  my views.

The coat conspiracy. If friend or foe comes around to your house with something that you disagree with and they would like you to believe it unless you want your views modifying make sure you always hand the coats back. Other people's coats, once left, can convince and might be dangerous at worst or seriously put you in the right direction and best. You heard it here first folks!