WHAT on earth is driving the rush to take out super injunctions, also known as gagging orders, in the British courts?
Despite the substantial costs involved, estimated at more than £100,000 a go, there appears to be an ever-lengthening queue of minor celebs and second division football players eager to keep their infidelities to themselves.
What is really surprising is that there are also quite a few complete nonentities prepared to shell out big bucks even though nobody has heard of them and, given the strength of the super injunction, the fact that their insignificance is likely to be enshrined in law.
I am aware that these people have the kind of disposable income that is not much dented by a six-figure fee note from a prominent barrister but it does seem a mite extravagant when one performs a cost-benefit analysis.
And yes, before the more worldly of my readers points it out, I do realise that when one is engaged with a new, attractive and athletic partner in an exciting game of hide the sausage certain parts of the anatomy may be taking a less pragmatic view of the consequences than would the brain under normal circumstances.
Recently a number of super injunction plaintiffs have been named on the internet (safely from outside the jurisdiction of the British courts) but this hasn’t helped at all as some of those cited, like Jemima Khan for example, have denied any involvement whatsoever.
Frankly, if I was lucky enough to have a fling with the lovely Jemima I wouldn’t think about taking out a super injunction for anything more than half a nanosecond.
At my age I’d want everyone to know what I’d been up to!