I am a liar. The statement doesn't look pretty on the page, yet it is the truth. Like the Hungarian prime minister, I have lied in the morning, at night and in the evening - although mainly I lie during office hours.

My lies are not necessarily whoppers, but are deceptions and distortions. So far today, I have congratulated someone on their new job, even though I think it a complete mystery how they ever got promoted. I e-mailed various readers thanking them for their interesting points, which I actually thought were tedious. I told someone on the phone to "send me the report by e-mail, and I'll read it" when I knew I wouldn't - and so it went.