Oxford's economy and reputation is built on learning. But it seems not everyone at County Hall is quite up to speed on their spelling.

This was the road sign that appeared during work in Beaumont Road, Headington Quarry, this week. No wonder our seven-year-olds are struggling when it comes to reading and writing.

It was with a little surprise (partly pleasant, partly not) that The Insider was alerted to this picture of the fragrant Emma Watson posing for a picture as she starts her studies at Oxford University.

Oddly, it comes a fortnight after her lawyers, the oddly-named Olswang, warned off the media while Miss Watson is studying.

Geraldine Proudler wrote: “Ms Watson does not wish to be photographed going about her daily life as a student so that she can focus all her attention on her education without distraction.

“You will be aware that our client has a legal right to respect for her private life, and this clearly includes her life as a student whilst her education continues.”

Perhaps a more accurate statement should have been: “Emma does not want to be photographed going about her daily life as a student and wants respect for her private life ... unless of course the commercial team behind her decides it is worth putting their own picture out on her website emmawatson.com and out to her 1.7million followers on Twitter to keep her profile and its attendant revenue opportunities up.”

The Insider would normally ask Ms Proudler if she could explain the concept of selective privacy or hypocrisy, but given there was not even the courtesy to acknowledge a reply from the media about her original letter, I won’t waste my time. You wouldn’t get away with that at Hogwarts!

For foreign embassies reporting back to their Governments on British affairs of state, it must have been a hard one to explain.

The Prime Minister lost his Defence Secretary and rapidly reshuffled his Cabinet while surrounded by Morris dancers performing on a rural railway station platform.

Yep, that’s how business is done in Britain.

Liam Fox had difficulty phoning David Cameron last Friday, because the PM was in his constituency marking the redoubling of the Cotswold Line. And in Charlbury, a mobile phone signal is hard to come by.

Charlbury Morris, complete with bells, waistcoats and flowery top hats, had to dance for an extra 20 minutes as the PM was delayed trying to cope with the crisis.

But what a shame Mr Cameron’s hastily arranged snippet for the evening news was filmed by the boring station entrance, instead of with a full complement of hanky-waving and stick-bashing in the background. That would have made foreign powers quake.