You, yes you, on the Eurostar

Justin

"What is it with people who have to share their self-importance with the rest of the world?" Physician, heal thyself.

Miv Tucker

I'm occasionally faced with this, but more mundanely on the bus or tube. A good way of deflating their pomposity is somthing along the lines of, "Even the person you're talking to isn't interested in what you're saying - why do you assume everyone else is?"

Max Kaye

A pity you didn't sneak a photo of him with your mobile phone - you could have shown it here. Also, which class were you traveling in? I do hope our (un)civil servants are not being pampered.

THX1138

You need one of these http://www.globalgadgetuk.com/Personal.htm. Cell phone Jammer Mate of mine commutes up from Kent every day & when all the city boys get on at Sevenoaks & start yayaing on buy, sell etc he just squeezes the trigger at the most opportune and cuts the buggers off in mid conversation. Hours of harmless fun for less than a cost of Nintendo DS

Lee Jakeman

The English Revolution is all about getting rid of people like this. May it come soon.

Lee Jakeman

To THX1138 - I thought the cell phone jammer was a great idea - until I read the small print: "Note for UK customers: jamming equipment is illegal to use in the UK as it violates sections 1 & 13 of the 1949 telegraphy act, we are therefore unable to supply jammers to any UK customer with the exception of certain military and government departments who have the necessary authorisation from the UK Office of Communications (Ofcom). Please note that no exceptions can be made on this policy." And to add insult to injury: "Due to non CE approval of these products we cannot sell these products into any European Union country." We really DO have too many laws ...

THX1138

Lee Jakeman- Who cares that they are illegal. Go on treat yourself.

Max Kaye

THX1138 - a solution befitting your sci-fi moniker. Any suggestions on some gadget that will kill CCTV cameras, speed traps and other obtrusive police-state apparatus? (I'm sick of climbing up the camera posts armed with a can of spray-paint and tubes of super-glue).

THX1138

Max- Yes it comes from the the title of the first film by George Lucas when the character THX1138 played by Robert Duvall escapes from an underground totalitarian society. 1984 meets Brave New World with a bit of Blade runner thrown in. Well worth a watch. First thing you should do is start opting out of the database state where you can, go to www.no2id.net & download the letter to send to your GP opting out of having your medial records uploaded onto the Connecting for Health Spine but you need to do this quickly. Speed Cameras will be old hat, soon they will have a telematics device in your own car which will just nick you every time you go over the speed limit. Don't worry though as the The Daily Wail would say If you've got nothing to hide you've got nothing to fear. How I hate that phrase.

Max Kaye

THX1138 - thanks. Telematics? That'll scare the living daylights out of all those driving untaxed, un-MOT'ed and uninsured cars.

Civil disobedience is not just a duty - it can be fun too!

Ross

With the talking of him pushing around "Gordon, Alistair and Yvette", I wonder whether it was Ed Balls in disguise.

CS

These senior civil servants have to boast about their acheivements on trains because, if they did it in their offices, they'd be drowned out by the noise of colleagues at their abused assistant's grade laughing hysterically. Or at least they would laugh were it not for the fear of being described as "negative" or "not a team player" in their annual reports.

andrew kirkham

Two points :- When this happens get a pen and paper out ostentatiously and start taking notes . its remarkable how quickly the idiot shuts up I benefitted once when I was working for a major food manufacturer and someone from our major competitor nearby starting discussing plans over the phone. I gained some very useful info so the point is you never know who can hear you.

tory boys never grow up

The guy may be a complete idiot - but what you have done in broadcasting his idiocy to all and sundry, with goodness knows what consequences, is not at all nice. Would you think it fair if your own (and fellow journalists) indiscretions were posted all over the national press - if so perhaps you could illuminate us with a few choice examples. Surely you could have thought of a more proportionate punishment.

The Laughing Cavalier

What ws it that Gordon, Alistair and Yvette wanted? Do tell.

The not-so-naked civil servant

Can you give us a description of the offender please? There's money riding on it in our office! :)