Philobiblon

Government ministers in the UK are being given a choice:

All members of the Cabinet have been told by the government car pool that when their car is up for renewal they can swap it either for an XL Jaguar or a Toyota Prius.
The Jaguar costs £50,000 and is regarded by environmentalists as a “gas guzzler”, although it runs on biodiesel, which contains a 5 per cent blend of vegetable oil. The Toyota – priced at £17,500 – has a “hybrid” engine, running on petrol and electricity, which cuts its carbon emissions.

The Independent reports that at least one, unnamed, minister, has already said that he’ll go for the Jag on the basis of “security”.

Complete bosh! (A discussion on Five Live this morning suggested that “security” came down to it being a bigger car, and hence more collision-resistant, and more powerful, so “able to get out of trouble”. Two questions: How much risk are ministers at? Not great – since Northern Ireland has calmed, anyway. How often has “a powerful car” saved a politician’s life? No examples that I can think of.

Any minister who opts for a Jag should be named and shamed, embarrassed out of the government.

****
Elsewhere Caitlin Moran – a sort of poor-woman’s Julie Burchill – has some interesting thoughts, amidst the sarcasm, about the apparent rash of people being convicted of varying offences that they filmed themselves on their mobile phones. Not that I’m a Baudrillard fan, but he might have something to say about it … simulation and reality and all that.