Rhodes on noisy silencers, our duty to vote and whatever happened to 'victim shaming'?

If it's election day for your local council tomorrow, make sure you vote. And if on the way to the polling station you pass a war memorial, think of those who died for democracy, thousands of whom were themselves too young to vote.

Samsung has apologised for its Galaxy advert showing a young woman running alone at 2am. The ad was condemned by some safety campaigners as “tone deaf” and disrespectful in view of recent attacks on women.

But what about all the cries of “victim-shaming” in the past when police have urged women not to be out alone? After an incident three years ago, Nottingham Police suggested: “Taking a risk when it comes to walking alone at night is not one of those things we should be doing.” This well-intentioned tip provoked outrage. A typical response was: “All people should be safe to walk the streets that they live any time of the day or night. Do not blame the victim here.” Labour veteran Harriet Harman demanded: “When the police advise women don’t go out at night on their own, women ask why do they have to be subjected to an informal curfew?” The police promptly retracted their advice, describing it as “clumsy”.

So it seems the authorities and advertisers are damned if they urge women to stay in, and damned if they don't. Samsung has nothing to apologise for. Its advert shows a fearless woman jogging in a street which has been reclaimed from the ungodly and is now safe for all. Isn't that an aspiration worth promoting?

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps promises to “banish the boy racer” with plans to deploy noise sensors to detect illegal exhausts. More than half-a-century ago he'd definitely have nicked me. The summer of '68 was hot, the hood was down on my convertible and the deep boom of my new, legally-dodgy exhaust pipe was burbling, popping and echoing off the walls of a tranquil Cornish village. Angry faces appeared at windows; fists were shaken in my direction. It was all very, very satisfying.

However, that was then and this is now. We Sixties kids were just having fun but today's boy racers are clearly an urban scourge. Give 'em hell, Shapps. We old hypocrites are right behind you.