Hugh As I travel round the country, giving speeches and replacing lengths of guttering in high buildings, I have become increasingly distressed at the ignorance and prejudice that seems to surround the whole business of sucking. This used to be a dynamic nation; a nation of skill and know-how, of determination and vision. The rest of the world used to look to us for a lead on sucking, and we were happy, proud I should say, to give it. Now, well you can ask the average Briton to suck something for you in the street, even something quite small, like a hedge, and like as not he'll just shrug his shoulders and move on. That's sad. Terribly, terribly sad.