While Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, delivers more pain and austerity to the country with his Autumn Statement, his counterpart at the MINIstry for Finance has just announced something that will make you smile.
Quoting from a study carried out by online research company Fly Research, the MINIster for Finance, John Cooper, declared that Brits are not smiling enough with Londoners ranking below the national average of 151 with a paltry 142. Top beamers, according to Fly Research, are residents of Swansea who smile for an average of 244 minutes per day.
To bring some joy to dour Londoners the MINIster has introduced an initiative, similar to the Boris Bike scheme, whereby those looking for a laugh can hire a MINI for the paltry figure of 26p an hour. Speaking at the launch of the MINIfesto, John Cooper said:
"The research shows that Londoners in particular could do with a little bit of fun in their lives so I hope that a zip across town in a MINI Cooper will bring some much needed pre-Christmas cheer."
The MINI Fun Hire Service docking station is located in the West End's bustling Berkeley Square and will run from 0800 - 1800 until Thursday 6th December. There is no need to pre-book your hour of fun, just insert 26p into the ticket machine, take your ticket and off you go. Staff will be on hand to introduce drivers to the delights of the MINI Cooper Hatch, with its famous go-kart handling and grin-inducing driving dynamics, and will accompany the driver for the hour and even drive it back from their end destination - ready for the next pleasure-poor Brit.
Breakdown of age groups who have the least fun per day:1. 25 - 34s (142 minutes per day)
2. 35 - 44s (146 minutes per day)
3. 45 - 54s (149 minutes per day)
4. Under 25s (185 minutes per day)
5. 55s and over (190 minutes per day)
Paul Healy - 5 Dec 2012