It ain’t over till it’s over.

It’s a phrase we’ve heard quoted a few times during recent weeks.

It’s actually American and dates from 1973 when it was uttered by the baseball player Yogi Berra when his team was way behind in the National League pennant race; his team eventually won. 

That same saying could be applied to the England football team; it got through to another round at the eleventh hour thanks to a couple of last-minute goals against Slovakia and on penalties last Saturday against Switzerland.

It ain’t over till it’s over. The same could have been said of the General Election. At the time of writing the election results have still to come but I certainly don’t envy any party that’s about to take on the mammoth task of trying to run the country.

Whatever your political persuasion you have to admire those politicians who stick their heads above the parapet in the name of democracy, given the amount of vitriol and abuse that’s thrown at them these days.

A friend of mine was canvassing in the run-up to the election. Though she’s in her seventies she spent hours knocking on doors and answering questions.

She received a polite enough reception in most calls but all too often doors were slammed in her face. I suppose she could count herself lucky that nothing was actually thrown at her. Though she was a volunteer she didn’t have to spend her time trudging from door to door; it was something she chose to do for the sake of the country. I have to say she’s a much  better person than I am.

As for the candidates, whichever party they belong to, having the guts to put up with death threats and abuse has to be admired. But it doesn’t necessarily stop with the election. After the honeymoon period is over the trolls will start with a vengeance. 

Along with all the snide comments about our MPs during the weeks of campaigning there was one headline in particular that caught my eye: 'Priti? She’s too short to be leader, say party faithful'. Apparently, this came up during a survey of party members as they discussed potential leadership contenders. Priti Patel was not only the least popular but also not tall enough to do the job. 

Dame Priti is MP for Witham in Essex. Presumably her seat, which she hung on to last week, won’t be too high for her to sit on. One of her allies has said: “I just wish she was taller,” as if it’s actually Priti’s fault being short.

I gather she’s about 5ft 3ins which means she’s actually taller than me. I’m 5ft 1ins (having shrunk a bit with age) so Priti could easily look down on me. No doubt like me, Priti’s had to get used to people continually remarking how short she is, as if either of us could do anything about it. 

As the years have gone past I’ve sometimes felt that I live in a land of giants. Counters in shops seem to be higher; quite often I need help getting items down from shelves.

And I’ve had to get used to neck-ache from looking up and from being invisible in crowds. When applying for a job in TV I nearly didn’t get it after one boss commented that I was a bit on the short side. I offered to supply my own highchair if the studio one was too low.

Any newly elected MPs who are a bit on the short side and would like to borrow it can feel free to contact me.