3 December

Today's the day when in 1988 Edwina Currie provoked outrage by saying that most of Britain's egg production was infected with salmonella. Farmers and politicians were outraged by her remarks, especially as she was Health Minister at the time. In a television interview she declared, "Most of the egg production in this country, sadly, is now affected with salmonella." Two weeks later she was forced to resign as egg sales plummeted and the government was forced to offer a compensation package of millions of pounds to cover the cost of purchasing surplus eggs and for the slaughter of unwanted hens.

It's amazing what a huge impact few carelessly chosen words can have. There are many places where the Bible warns us to be careful how we speak. The letter of James is probably where we find the strongest warning to engage brain before opening lips. This is what it says:

When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.