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UK Tourism minister taunts America’s stay-away stars
Edited for brevity.HollywoodâS action heroes were ridiculed by a government minister yesterday for lacking the "balls" to visit Europe because of fears of a terrorist attack. Kim Howells, the tourism minister, said stars such as Tom Cruise were belying their swashbuckling screen image by being too scared to board transatlantic flights to Europe. Hard-man actors were more frightened of flying than "grannies from New York", Mr Howells added. He said the failure of stars like Cruise - well-known for action movies like Minority Report, Top Gun and Mission: Impossible - to travel was damaging the British tourist industry because they offered a lead to other travellers from the United States. Mr Howells argued: "These people portray themselves as great action heroes and although we know they use stuntmen all the time, one would assume they would have the balls to do a simple thing like fly to Europe and set an example for the rest of the nation." Mr Howells made the characteristically outspoken remarks as he prepared to fly out to the US yesterday on a six-day trip during which he hopes to persuade more Americans to visit Britain. However, Tony Blairâs official spokesman defended Mr Howells yesterday, saying the Prime Minister was happy for his culture minister to take on the titans of Hollywood in his role of promoting Britain abroad. "You canât criticise ministers on the one hand for being programmed automatons and on the other take issue if they say things that perhaps are a little bit more interesting than usual," the spokesman said. Actually, I want to visit the UK and give them some of my tourist dollars to repay them for their stand as our staunchest ally in Iraq. However, the craziness that considers a child's plastic sword to be a deadly weapon (posted here yesterday) and the concept that legal self-defense means curling up and begging for mercy do not set well with me. Posted by: Dar 2003-05-21 |
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