The glow of self-importance which surrounds Bristol mayor George Ferguson is something that is a major irritation to many of the citizens he purports to represent. So when the less than great man has his ego pricked, we are all entitled to enjoy the smug grin for which he is so familiar.
There was a charity fundraising event in Bristol to raise money for refugees in Calais. Never one to avoid the sweet smell of publicity, Ferguson donated a pair of his comedy red trousers which he believed would raise many hundreds of pounds for a good cause. Imagine his disappointment and, I hope, embarrassment when said trousers were sold on eBay and reached a less than stellar sum of £51.
Yes, yes, I know it would have been better for the desperate refugees in Calais if Ferguson’s pants had gone for a bit more, but honestly; what were people expecting? Talk to most ordinary folk, and there is not exactly a whole lotta love for the Merchant Venturer. Few people take him seriously and the relative failure of his trouser donation is more down to this aspect and not ambivalence about the refugees.
I have a solution, though. As Ferguson is plainly so compassionate towards refugees, he can always donate something more substantial than a pair of trousers, say by way of a private donation. Maybe he already has in which case why bother with a gimmicky exercise in further self-aggrandisement, which this surely was?
The man is just an embarrassment and if the good people of Bristol feel as I do, then they know what to do next year.
