Politicians are the same slimy species the world over, aren't they?
"Breathtaking hypocrisy" in the UK
Take born-again greenie, Tory MP David Cameron who cycles down to the House each day. Of course he makes sure the media knows about it but you're inclined to forgive the publicity stunt and say "good on him" until you read in the Daily Mirror:
A source revealed: "David is well known for cycling to Parliament. But they always send his car to his home as well to pick up the morning papers and any personal items he'll need for the day. He leaves a pile of things inside the front door."
Environmental campaigners last night accused Old Etonian Cameron of breathtaking hypocrisy. Steven Hounsham, of Transport 2000, said: "It's unbelievable. If there's a good reason for making a car journey to transport shoes, a case and a shirt then I'd like to hear it."
(via velorution)
Jumping ship in the USA
Meanwhile in the USA Yahoo! News has a photo:
House Speaker Dennis Hastert of Ill., center, gets out of a Hydrogen Alternative Fueled automobile, left, as he prepares to board his SUV, which uses gasoline, after holding a news conference at a local gas station in Washington, Thursday, April 27, 2006 to discuss the recent rise in gas prices. Hastert and other members of Congress drove off in the Hydrogen-Fueled cars only to switch to their official cars to drive the few blocks back to the U.S. Capitol.
[emphasis added]
bike punx participant grolby says "hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles aren't much of a solution" and dj_flx reckons "That's what makes it even more pathetic - they can't even stick to the not very good 'solution.'" On the other hand tehsex0r suggests that the corpulent Speaker "could use a bike ride. Or a walk, for that matter."
"Take me to your lizard"
Shenanigans like this always remind me of this passage by Douglas Adams in "So long, and thanks for all the fish":
A hatchway opened, crashed down through the Harrods Food Halls, demolished Harvey Nicholls, and with a final grinding scream of tortured architecture, toppled the Sheraton Park Tower.
After a long, heart-stopping moment of internal crashes and grumbles of rending machinery, there marched from it, down the ramp, an immense silver robot, a hundred feet tall.
It held up a hand.
"I come in peace", it said, adding after a long moment of further grinding, "take me to your Lizard."
Ford Prefect, of course, had an explanation for this…
"It comes from a very ancient democracy, you see..."
"You mean, it comes from a world of lizards?"
"No", said Ford, … "nothing so simple. Nothing anything like so straightforward. On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd", said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did", said Ford. "It is."
"So", said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them", said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes", said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But", said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard", said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in."
It seems that if you vote for lizards you've got to expect reptilian behaviour.