First in class?

While I was holidaying earlier this year I discovered the joys of cycling; great for health, wonderful to feel the breeze on your face and so much kinder to the environment. Plus, I look stunning in my blue cycling-onesy - it really compliments my skin and everyone loves to see a little blue guy wheeling down the road. Really, the benefits are endless. It’s this outlook – and my happiness to discuss it at length – that had a senior politician contacting me to discuss possible career as an official Government travel advisor. It seems that there has been much backlash recently following a report in the Independent which claimed that education officials ran up a bill of £10m over three years on travel. With the scrutiny that all civil servant and MP expenses will be afforded in future it seems that all avenues are being explored in a bid for squeaky-clean images.

Now I think this may be slightly optimistic and a little naive; the reason, it is said, that education officials amassed such a hefty bill is that offices are spread around the country and staff are often called to London for meetings. I can’t imagine being as happy cycling from Runcorn to London as I was navigating the pretty country lanes of the south of France, and I’ll be sure to say that to my senior political contact.  But I think they’re on the right track – they have to do something about these travel bills. Shopping around for the best deals would be a start – I can put them in touch with my mother, the original war-child bargain expert. I think there are many minor measures that can be taken before we resort to telling civil servants to get on their bikes. Now I’m off to London – in standard-class – to tell my politician friend exactly that!

Rick