Narnian Trade Talks Collapse; Silly Season Still Going Strong

Indulge me if you will - it is, after all, still silly season, when most bloggers skive off and spend a lot of time at the movies and playing X-Box (though some resolutely remain at the wheel, and I salute them). After being rather disappointed by Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (book much better, movie drained of moral complexity) and rather more pleased by The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (adaptation excellent, Christian allegory basically inscrutable without close contemplation), I was thrilled to come across the following in The Age:

The fantasy land of Narnia, the subject of C. S. Lewis' stories and a just-released film, impinged on last week's World Trade Organisation talks.

A story issued by financial news agency AFX on Sunday, picked up by several other outlets, has left a series of red faces by faithfully reporting a press release from "the independent state of Narnia". The story claimed Narnia had walked out of the World Trade Organisation talks in Hong Kong because it was fed up with being bullied by the US and Europe. It claimed the major powers were attempting to enforce liberalisation of its clothing sector.

It quoted Narnia spokeswoman Susan Aslan (Aslan is the name of the Christ-like lion featured in the film, and book, The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe). Narnia's delegates "were tired of bullying by EU and US delegations and would be returning immediately to their state capital at Cair Parvel," Ms Aslan was reported as saying. "If this brings the Hong Kong talks to the knees we will be delighted," it went on. The story was picked up by top business websites, including Forbes.com.

The agencies involved have since removed the reports.

No doubt Mark Vaile is rushing to the Wardrobe as we speak, in order to ink the first Australia-Narnia FTA ...