Four more years...four more years...

Tonight, the Tavern is raising a glass to...itself, as we celebrate four years since the doors first opened.

In that time, we have observed a change of government (meet the new boss, same as the old....), commented on the ups and downs of the economic climate and rejoiced in the fecund inspiration provided by the expenses scandal.

We have paraded our various hobby horses round the show-ring - the shortcomings of the NHS and local government, the essential and valuable work of the RNLI, the grisly spectacle of shopping in Britain's high streets, passing asteroids and, of course, the occasional tattoo story.

And the Tavern has been delighted to welcome the varied and entertaining contributions of regular visitors to the comments pages as well as occasional gems from those who pass by never to be seen again - though we live in hope.

What keeps the Tavern going, above all, is the knowledge that we are not alone; out there in the blogosphere are like-minded souls who also see the incongruities and inconsistencies of life in modern Britain.

It is you, the Tavern's guests, who make it worthwhile continuing to resist, to offer satire and scorn instead of surrender to the onslaught of idiocy and ignorance. Creating this blog has given me much amusement and I hope will continue to do so for at least another four years, and I thank you for that.

So I invite you to pour yourselves a drink and take a wander through the archives as we in the Tavern raise a toast to you, the readers.

Your very good health!