Take 100 lines ... "Eye must look on the bright side of life"

At the weekend we admitted to having Victor Meldrew tendencies, and are well aware that we tend to highlight the half-emptiness of the glass rather than the reverse.
Now an e-mail from Paul has taken us to task, and suggested that our approach is perhaps more redolent of the mad doomsayer Cassandra, or the laconic pessimist Private Fraser from Dad's Army.
He writes:
"Dear Eye,
"You certainly keep going and write good English, but I find the constant cynicism and negativity just a bit - much.
"Partly I feel 'hey - this is my job, being a black-hearted depressive about Boston politics!' and partly it's an unsettingly unaccustomed feeling, ever agreeing with any columnist.
"If I thought for one moment they (it's he really) could ever be that intelligent and subtle, I'd entertain the conspiracy theory that you are trying to drum up sneaking sympathy for the regime by being so relentlessly bilious.
"Still, anyone who reads those great political anti-authoritarian heroes Orwell and Molesworth can't be all bad - and I only looked at you for the first time in a month wondering if, being anti-Party In The Park, you were also anti-May Fair. I'm pleased to see you aren't.
"I did honestly think BEFORE reading you (much like Darwin and Wallace, or was it Gromit?) 'yeah, while we're at it, why not blow up the Stump and anything else that makes Boston distinctive'. Must be fools seldom differing as I'd never be arrogant enough to do the other proverb.
"On balance, more power to your organ (as they say at Private Eye) I think - but try and come up with a few more positive ideas like your one about putting the Tourist Information in the Stump. Just to throw your cynicism into sharp relief occasionally. Otherwise I might start feeling sorry for councillors. And that would never do.
Regards,
Paul - If you're really that awake you'll know what political fish I have to fry. Sadly I'm relentlessly negative most of the time and very often despise my own party. But if I was in another, I'd almost certainly hold it in even more contempt!")
Thanks for that Paul.
You could be right, but we did once remark ahead of a recent rant that whilst we were accused of negativity, there was a lot to be negative about!
Perhaps we misunderstood the famous Japanese philosopher when he said: "Always look on the blight side of life!"
PS Paul - we got your affiliations in one ... and we understand your negativity.
But yes, we will try harder to find reasons to be cheerful.

Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.