Brexit – about the substance of which I have never written, and have no intention of ever writing anything in this column – has already had many effects on various aspects of our national life; but the main effect for Parliamentarians has been the innumerable hours during which we have debated clauses of the various Bills that the process has necessitated.

One of the saddest consequences of this legislative ferment is that I was detained in the Chamber of the House of Commons at the time when the Gryphon School and Sherborne Girls School came up to Waterloo Station for their annual carol singing.

This charming event, which takes place on the main concourse of the station, must send thousands of Londoners (and a number of intrepid travellers from the south west) home with a song in their hearts.

It is a jolly occasion, and one that I would not lightly miss.

But it also has a serious and benevolent purpose, as it raises funds for the food banks not only in Sherborne but also in Waterloo -- thereby bringing to the capital some of the enthusiasm for voluntary effort and for the Big Society that is so much a feature of life in West Dorset and which all too often seems to be obscured by the hustle and bustle of the metropolis.

It is heartening, also that the railway company enters into the spirit of this event, providing not only the transport required to bring these massed choirs from Sherborne to Waterloo but also (more surprisingly) the organ, to furnish the instrumental background for the singers.

All in all, the carols are a splendid example of the south west doing its bit.