If you were to ask which is the least likely country in Europe to host outdoor music concerts, England would be near the top of the list, just ahead of Iceland.
Yet there is hardly a weekend passes when there is not a concert of some description being performed in the open air, under angry clouds, with joyous fans singing along in the pouring rain.
Each year in the UK there are almost 300 music festivals of one kind or another.
And it is not just the young, who tend to be impervious to outside influences when enjoying themselves.
Friends as old and older than me still wend their way to Glastonbury, tying their wispy grey hair into a pony tail, dragging their waistcoats and Che Guevara t-shirts from the back of the wardrobe. The sandals are worn without socks and the iPhone is left at home.
In conditions that would normally prevent them leaving home for Tesco, let alone having a barbecue, they happily sing and groove to new and old music, stoically queuing for toilets and beers, when they would normally complain loudly if they were not served instantly in their local hostelry and sleeping in conditions similar to a WWI trench.
And, of course, the music being performed often recognises the fact that outdoor concerts attract as many over 50s as under 30s.
The star attraction at Glastonbury this year was Stevie Wonder and previous headliners have included The Who, Rod Stewart, Paul McCartney and Dame Shirley Bassey.
And at Bestfest this year, on the Isle of Wight, the top act is Rolf Harris, which may be post-modern irony, or is that being unkind to Rolf? The Isle of Wight is where it all started in this country and I went there to see Bob Dylan, among others. What I most remember is a rather attractive young woman climbing into my sleeping bag, while asking if I had a spare ticket for the concert. I said no and she climbed back out again, which proves honesty is not always the best policy.
In those days the concerts were more than just music festivals but an expression of an alternative lifestyle as well as a political statement.
These days they are as mainstream as they can get and it would not be a surprise to see Nick Clegg and David Cameron boogieing in their designer clam pickers.
The young try to prove they are still rebels, especially at Leeds, where they have the habit of burning their tents at the end of the weekend, but, by and large, their heart is not in it.
So you may spot me today at the rhythm festival in Clapham but only if it is not the monsoon weather we have been experiencing of late. If so, I might just reach for the iPod and a good book.
IGOT a bit of stick from some local Lib Dems back in May when I said they had little to gain from the ConDem pact and a great deal to lose.
What I said was that if the pact does well it will be the Tories who gain and if it does badly the opposition will benefit.
The Lib Dems appear to be on a lose-lose.
This looks like coming true much quicker than even I thought. Polls are showing the Lib Dems at between eight and 15 per cent, well down on their General Election performance.
And this is the ‘honeymoon’ period for the Government.
When the cuts begin to bite and the opposition gets its act together, not a given I accept, the situation could get worse still.
This could lead to splits and defections, especially if they lose their traditional strong base in the local government elections next May.
Interesting times for the Lib Dems and they may need help from their Government partners.
That is if their partners really care.
