Steve Norris, one of the also-rans in the race to win the mayoralty of London, continues to be dogged by bad luck, or could it be poor judgement? It was certainly poor judgement running him against red-hot favourite Ken Livingstone.

Now he's had his £9,000 Rolex watch snatched. That was decidedly due to poor judgement on his part. Of course, it's only natural that someone owning such a prestigious watch would want to show it off to the less wealthy, or undiscerning, who wear battery-operated Sekonda and Seiko timepieces. But you would imagine that Mr Norris would know that it's quite a simple matter to snatch a watch off someone's wrist if it is only held in place by a flexible metal band.

For someone who had aspirations of becoming London's top citizen, he ought to be aware that metal watchbands are non-U in the best circles. The appropriate band, as worn by sartorially-correct persons, such as The Prince of Wales, is an unpretentious leather strap.

Though the proud owner of a 35-year-old Omega Seamaster automatic watch, I do not flaunt it in doubtful company and, unlike Steve Norris, not being able to afford a like replacement, wear a relatively cheap, but reliable, Rotary watch when travelling in unfamiliar and less law-abiding places, at home and abroad.

Had Steve been in the armed forces and served in Egypt, he would have known that there is nothing new about watch-snatching.

Fifty or more years ago, British servicemen travelling on trains up and down the Suez Canal Zone were badgered by klefte wallahs (thieves) disguised as street vendors to buy sweets, drinks, souvenirs and dubious aphrodisiacs from baskets suspended from their necks. They would wander station platforms and when a troop train pulled in for a minute or two, would offer their wares for sale. The unsuspecting squaddies would lean on the open window-tops and reach out to receive their purchases and pay the vendor. Then, as fast as greased lightning, the thief would slip a razor-sharp knife under a soldier's watchstrap and cut it from his wrist. The watch would drop neatly into the man's basket as the train pulled out of the station, with the unfortunate victim shouting curses - as soldiers do so well - at the grinning Egyptian.

It pays to keep your eye on your watch, because time may fly when your attention is distracted.

As much as I sympathise with Linda Smart for getting a fixed penalty ticket for taking a swig from her water bottle while waiting for the traffic lights to turn orange, I appreciate the need for people driving motor cars to be in complete control of their vehicles at all times. And to do so safely, they ought not to be drinking, eating, smoking, reading, canoodling with a passenger, attempting to physically chastise a naughty child on the back seat, or holding a phone in their right hand when they are turning a corner at speed. Which is exactly what I recently saw a policewoman doing while driving a personnel carrier in heavy traffic.

If driving while holding a phone, or a radio, is considered dangerous, then our police should be provided with hands-off telephone equipment. After all, isn't a good example the best way to get a message across?

Good Ol' Boy Bill Clinton seems to be having some success with his efforts to establish his brand of entente with the Russians. On his recent visit to Moscow to address the Duma, a female bureaucrat called out to him: "Bill, drop your trousers so that we can see what a sex boss you are." Next we learn that Russian politicians are clamouring to be interviewed by strip-teasing journalists on their TV programme - Naked Truth.

Which only goes to show that there's nothing better than a bit of sexual hanky-panky to divert the public from more serious matters.