Post pair herald the perfect Twitter storm in a tea cup

You can't beat early-morning friction on Twitter to spice up the breakfast bowl. The Racing Post itself is not insusceptible to criticism but still, it was surprising on Tuesday to see the online ordure poured on the mildly humourous 'You won't be seeing this pair again on a racecourse' front page (about the exhibitionist reality 'stars' banned from the sport of kings).

I'm more PC than a 50-year-old copper who can't pass the exams, and even I found it amusing. It was risqué, but in tune with the times, as Mrs Brown's Boys had just won some kind of poll for the top sitcoms of the 21st century - touch of the Bob Nudds there - and the BBC were remaking Are You Being Served?.

Anyway Pairgate, in a compact way, had all the hallmarks of a Twitterstorm and is worth analysing: a perfect trajectory, starting off (mainly) enjoyably, before descending (briefly) into nastiness and then (quickly) fizzling out.