Fake politicians

The Guardian has an entertaining take on the unfortunate cabinet minister James Purnell, apparently caught agreeing to have his image merged into a picture after turning up late for the original photocall. It probably does matter because:

In a speech to the Royal Television Society this month he said: "A politician talking to a journalist about trust is a bit like a City banker talking to a Premier League footballer about pay restraint. But, even if I'm in no position to teach broadcasters any lessons, the same thing applies to us both. In both politics and television, you devalue the only currency you have if you forfeit the trust of the public."

There is also a real life spin doctor being quoted on the record:

But Mr Purnell's special adviser, Lisa Tremble, said last night that the image had come about as the result of "a misunderstanding about what 'merge' meant".

And the story gets weirder:

Conservative HQ was claiming last night that the alteration had been made at the minister's request. But Ms Tremble said the Conservatives had fabricated an apparent admission from a spokesman for Mr Purnell "who simply doesn't exist".