VIPs in Traffic Jam
By Khalid A.
London, UK
In Pakistan, much prominence was given to the incident of the Prime Ministers Mr David Cameron and Mr Yusuf Raza Gilani being caught in a traffic jam in London. The incident hardly caught any media attention in the UK because it had no significance in the eyes of the public. In the past, Mr Cameron was always riding a bicycle on his daily journey to the Parliament till he became the Prime Minister and was persuaded by the Security Officers to start using the official car.
Mr Boris Johnson, who is Mayor of London, goes to his office daily on a bike. The new French President, Mr Hollande, was waving to the crowds from the balcony of his modest flat when people surrounded it, on the day of his election victory.
Elitism is dead in Europe. Mr Cameron is always apologetic about his wealthy background and about the fact that he did not attend an ordinary government school in his childhood. In politics, belonging to a wealthy family is a liability.
I recall an incident about Lady Diana. She was on her way to the Heathrow airport to receive a personal friend, but was caught in a traffic jam. She was fretting that she was going to be late. She asked the Security Officer to use the blue lights and the siren to clear the way, which he did, reluctantly, but reported the matter to his superiors. The incident was investigated. When the police chief was asked about it, he replied crisply: “She has been a naughty girl and has been asked not to do it again. The siren is used on very special occasions”. It is ironical to recall the Heathrow’s Terminal 4 was inaugurated by Charles and Diana.
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