Image by Annie Mole via Flickr

Boris is under fire for accepting sponsorship from Wonga.com to co-fund free public transport on NYE. Apparently the company specialises in short term loans, seen as poor form during cash strapped festive times.

All sponsorship deals like this have an ulterior motive; it’s naïve and frankly, boring, to try and make a huge news story about it. I can’t help think it must be a slow news day now that the snow is melting in London (centre of the world don’t you know). Some thoughts:

1. Most people will be too drunk to remember getting home, let alone that it was free and who paid for it (who wants to place bets on the number of swaying, drunk people who will be trying their damnedest to swipe their Oyster card…)
2. If you’re strapped for cash and considering a loan, you’re going to do it anyway regardless of these ad
3. Previous sponsors include NatWest (money), Fosters and Smirnoff – surely the latter two are far more irresponsible on what is surely  the biggest night of the year for TFL for drunken customers

I tend to think it’s very generous of these companies to fund free transport for the whole of London all night long and fair enough to use it for self-promotion (that’s what advertising is after all).  I’m really not sure where I’d draw the line – probably Al Qaeda and Stringfellows.

Other news that could be discussed instead that is only slightly more important is that one mammoth fight is brewing between North Korea and South Korea. Now this is scary forecast for 2011.

On that note, Merry Christmas one and all!

(I know the picture isn’t entirely apt, I just quite liked it)