This land is ours...

It's a brave soul who takes on the world's most famous female pop icon - especially if she's named after the mother of God and armed with an intimate knowledge of Kabbalah and a husband fond of shooting. But then, they don't come much braver than Britain's rambling community.

It's a brave soul who takes on the world's most famous female pop icon - especially if she's named after the mother of God and armed with an intimate knowledge of Kabbalah and a husband fond of shooting. But then, they don't come much braver than Britain's rambling community.

These anorak-clad radicals challenged Madonna's attempts to seal off her Wiltshire estate and asserted their "right to roam" over part of the Material Girl's property. Sadly, they were not totally successful; parts of her estate will remain closed to walkers. But let's call it a draw for now.

We worry that her Madgesty may have taken this "country life" pose a bit too far. We can cope with a bit of Barbour and maybe even a bit of huntin', shootin' and fishin', but she is in danger of morphing into an intolerant, red-faced land-owner. Next she'll be claiming big subsidies from Brussels, organising a fuel protest or joining Joan Collins in the UK Independence Party.

We suggest, in the spirit of reconciliation, that Madonna records a cover of a pertinent Woody Guthrie classic on her next album. Sing along now: "This land is your land, this land is my land..."