Cunning Stunts

Playing catch up on the last week's papers, I found myself again wading through a few editions of the Daily Mail, this time having purchased some copies for my Mum to get her a few nice DVDs. 

And in the Wednesday edition there was an interview  with Zac Goldsmith, who is getting a lot of press these days. This one was billed as being with 'the Tories' Green Guru', but some odd agenda seemed to be at work as the headline was 'One of these men runs the Tory party. But which one?' and the picture of ZG and David cameron side by side seemed designed to push one in the direction intended.

I hope one day to meet this chap, and may get the opportunity at MAD*, as he will be there too. So I guess I need to be careful to avoid matching the inevitable point where 'MC' (media celebrity) Martin Lewis meets 'MC' Carol Vorderman. Well, first I need to be heard of to hit 'MC' status, but with Junkk.com we are on our way to being invited to more interesting places of interaction.

I always try to avoid the personal, especially when I have not met anyone in person to make a judgement, but when one is propelled into the public eye and has at least sanctioned (if not approved the version put out) one's thoughts being committed to print, I guess you have to expect some commentary based on it all.

There is no doubt that he has been a significant part of the movement to bring 'Green issues' to the fore, and this can only be to the good, though my views remain on how engaged we mere mortals can be with those less troubled by day-to-day concerns - like living expenses. But at least he is not too sanctimonious 'You don't have to live like a monk to be green', though that often seems code for 'I'll keep the helicopter'.

I guess I'll only really be able to judge as time passes, more information (and quotes) becomes available, and maybe one day having a chat.

Until then I'll close on the first section of the piece, where the glacier trip was a stunt deemed good, so I guess he was part of it. I'm afraid I can't agree. Flying a ton of folk to the Antartic to 'study' the effects of global wraming backfired big time with me, and another ruddy-faced Tory young thing was rather wonderfully savaged about it by Jeremy Paxman on Newsnight at the time if the link doesn't work go via the BBC site to Ethical man 'Shoegate' video - it's worth it.