But it eventually became clear that what they were talking about actually related to the best way of deciding which fellas and fellaresses should be in charge of what goes on in the outside world.

Obviously inside the confines of our own home, the hierarchical structure is quite clear.

Mum and Dad are joint top of the who's the boss board, followed by yours truly, then Maxi (the eldest and wisest of the mutts); Jammy (the most optimistic); Elvis (the goldfish who was revived in November and has survived thus far) and Jimmy, our talking cocker spaniel, who despite his gift, still manages to live down to his reputation for being unbelievably stupid.

Aside from the arrival of my sibling-in-the-making, (and me ever being allowed to get some dwarf hamsters), there's not much which is going to change in our little democracy.

But by all accounts (and by all, I mean the parentals), this may not be the case in the wider one.

As far as I understand this Alternative Vote system, instead of just choosing your favourite person on the list (a choice apparently best made by way of decency and merit, not the promise of chocolate provisions), you have to decide how much you like all of them and then put them in order of preference.

Now, although I can sort of see the logic, I think this level of complexity may be a step too far. What happens if you absolutely can't abide two or three of the candidates in equal measure?

What if the thought of finding out enough about ALL the guys and gals involved, in order to make an informed decision, is just too much to bear?

And (the one which troubles me the most)... if one of the field comes bottom of everyone's pile, just how bad are they going to feel about themselves?

Mind you, this opinion is coming from someone who point blank refuses to play favourites in any pigeon hole of my life.

The parentals are forever asking me to try though. What's your favourite film? Who's your favourite Toy Story buddy? What's your favourite dinner? Which song from Dad's Disney playlist do you like best? And so it goes on. They always come away disappointed though. I simply refuse to articulate a preference. How could I look Jessie in the eye if she knew I actually like Buzz better?

Would Monkey get ideas above his station if he knew that when it comes to snuggly toys, he's the main man?

And would the rest of my DVDs simply dissolve if they got wind of the fact that (despite my daily pretence of momentary indecisiveness) the Adventures of Morph will always be my breakfast accompaniment of choice?

I shudder just thinking about it.