Can a potato be an atheist?

[Cyberman]

A useful little rule of thumb, when engaging in this kind of substitutionary speculation, is to reverse the subjects. If it still makes sense then it's probably structurally sound and may then be considered further. Thus, "can a woman be President of America?" reverses to "can the President of America be a woman?" - nothing wrong with that. "Can a mushroom be poisonous?" --> "Can a poisonous thing be a mushroom?" Perfect.

So let's try it out:

"Can a potato be an atheist?" --> "Can an atheist be a potato?"

Oh dear. I fear something got lost in translation somewhere.

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And the cheering crowd are on their feet to give a rapturous standing ovation, as St. Imbo ascends the stage to accept this, the latest long service award marking his third millennium of posting not just here but in any forum of his career. He raises his hand and the audience of more than ten thousand packed here into Wembley Stadium for this prestigious occasion fades into an expectant hush, waiting to hear the words of the acceptance speech that have been the subject of so much media speculation these past months. And I think that... yes, he is about to address the crowd now:

"Thanks!"

Amazing! And as I'm sure you can hear the crowd has now gone absolutely apeshit, erupting into a clamorous cacophany of concentrated - erm - something else that starts with 'C'. And on that note, it's back to the studio.

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