For those with a quirky cast of mind, an important question was raised in parliament the other day by our local Goole MP, Andrew "Simpleton" Percy and this will perhaps be a matter of intense interest to them. While we here on earth are filling our heads daily with the practicalities of Brexit, fearful of what it might mean for the future of our children, Mr Percy, who as you know campaigned relentlessly to leave the EU, has left Brexit far behind.
As we stand looking at the approaching train crash and ponder how we will ever be able to clear the wreckage, Percy, one of the signalmen who help switched the points, is off and dealing with other far weightier matters - or indeed, if one might be permitted a joke - less weightier matter.
He asked a written question (HERE):
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government is taking steps to attract the asteroid mining industry to the UK.
It's not clear what prompted him to ask about this since Goole is not noted for mining at all, let alone mining on asteroids but nevertheless his constituents will no doubt be pleased to know he is concerned about this stuff.
Sam Gyimah, minister of state at the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Dept was thankfully able to reassure him:
The UK Space Agency is supporting the British Space Sector including exciting new commercial ideas such as the robotic assembly and servicing of satellites in space and aligning UK leadership in small satellite manufacture with our ambition to enable commercial small satellite launch from UK spaceports.
Sometimes it's hard to know whether your reading parliamentary questions and answers or the script for an old episode of Blake's 7. Bizarre isn't it?
