Could think of one or two officials here that might take a leaf out of this chaps book. A Michigan mayor says a warning wasn’t enough after he was stopped for speeding. So he asked for a ticket instead — and got it. Warren Mayor Jim Fouts was pulled over Monday on the way to City Hall for going 45 mph in a 40 mph zone. The officer told him to watch it next time. Source .

Looks like its not just the British who have to put up with legislative zealots, the French are suffering from petty PC madness too! Jacques Tati’s Mr Hulot, one of French cinema’s most enduring comic characters, whose pipe was as much a trademark as his hat and beige raincoat, is seen riding his Velosolex motor scooter in a poster advertising a retrospective at the Cinematheque de Paris. However, the pipe has been replaced by a small colored whirligig by Metrobus, the group that manages advertising on Paris public transport, citing fears that the pipe could break a law forbidding "direct or indirect" tobacco advertising. The Liberation daily was among many newspapers mocking the cover-up, pointing out that Mr Hulot is not wearing a helmet, is riding an old-fashioned, polluting vehicle and that the small boy riding behind him is not seated securely. Source .

Finally, a Polish MP who failed a drink-driving test claimed it was because he had eaten too many apples. Having been pulled over and asked why a test showed 0.7 units of alcohol in his blood, he said: "I am diabetic, I ate a few apples before driving." Hmmm, seems he has something in common with some of our home grown MPs, no reference to his medical condition obviously or his penchant for apples. Source .