Being the landlady of a B&B was much more stressful than I had anticipated. My guests, the entire shadow cabinet and Peter Mandelson, had taken over the TV lounge to watch the LibDem conference. They demanded Pringles and endless cups of tea and I was rushed off my feet. To add to my stress, I was being criticised for not drying a towel correctly. When a stranger rang the doorbell to ask if I would look after his toddler so he could go to work, I refused. The politicians started cat-calling from the sofa. It was people like me who were the reason society was failing.