AS Margaret Beckett heads East in her trusty Mondeo, towing her caravan, we salute the envoy that will bring peace to the Middle East. It her simple existence that is likely to strike a chord with the dispossessed and the brutalised of the region.
As she makes her way across the many borders stopping only to take photographs of the locals and to drink tea by the roadside, the insurgents of Iraq are already putting away their weapons and disposing of their home made incendiaries and bombs in deference.
The Spoof asked Mrs. Beckett what it is about the open road and the simple way of life that is so powerful. She explained how as a child she was abandoned in the Sahara Desert by her parents; they were unhappy with how ugly she was and felt that it was mother natures problem to deal with.
She was rescued by the Tuareg People, Nomads of the Sahara. Evidently it was their practice of the males in the tribe wearing veils that was to prove to be her saving, she could masquerade as a young man (they thought she was) and keep her face covered thereby not alarming the camels. (She coyly admits that Camels are rather drawn to her though she doesn't know why!)
So it is armed with this experience and a cast iron Insurance policy from the Caravan Club, that Margaret Beckett attempts to succeed where even the mighty Terry Waite would fear to tread.
Her biggest hurdle now will be to convince the US Army Checkpoint of the veracity of her mission (and not to get shot by them).
