THE WAR ON TRAFFIC

Having engaged with my more liberal self yesterday, I'm feeling more justifiably waspish (lower case) again today, so let's quickly get going !

The ease with which most women, young and old, together with other impressionable people, are impressed by men with big cars never ceases to amaze me. However, it comes as no surprise that our geeky Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, should invoke a grand automobile metaphor in his support for Tony Blair's prospective candidature for the European Union Presidency. Mr Miliband clearly presumes that the leaders of new world powers such as China and India would be impressed by a Blair Motorcade adding to traffic congestion, air pollution, and thereby global warming. Miliband, incidentally, was previously UK Environment Secretary, and his brother, Ed, is currently Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change.

Of course, what Miliband and his colleagues are really out for is the prospect of a Jobs-4-The-Boyz-R-Us Bonanza that future unemployed New Labour Cabinet Ministers would reap if Blair became EU President.

What we really need is for more British, European, and, for that matter, Asian, African, American and other Antipodean political leaders to get on their bikes ! For, notwithstanding the many casualties of international conflicts, at the present time more people are killed and injured in traffic accidents around the world; not to mention those less directly affected by the other damaging impacts of road transport. In short, the car is more dangerous than the gun. However, this is quite acceptable because of the social status conferred by the automobile, and the so-called Great Car Economy. In others words, cars are more important than people, as those many ladies who endanger the lives of other children whilst driving their own offspring around clearly demonstrate.

Thus I always find it surprising when the Milibands and Blairs - not to mention the Mrs Blairs - of this world criticise people like me for putting the environment before people !