Six ways the Blairs can avoid the press

The Massed Ranks of Her Majesty's photographers

Damaging intrusions into people's private lives are all the rage this summer. But while everyone's watching Channel 4's Big Brother, not everyone is quite so keen.

The Prime Minister, Tony Blair, for one. Having been annoyed that the newspapers printed photographs of him carrying his baby son Leo to be christened, he has put his foot down.

There will be no posed photograph of the Blair family on their annual holiday to France and Tuscany starting this week. The papers are furious at being denied their photograph. The Sun even said: "If these aren't the signs of a man in turmoil, then what are?"

Tony and Cherie Blair on holiday in Siena last summer

Keeping out of the papers is a notoriously difficult thing to do, especially when long-range lenses can take recognisable - if grainy - pictures from a quarter of a mile away.

But there are certain practical steps the Blairs can take to protect themselves from being caught unawares.

1) Get a little help from their Friends

The Blairs could hire Moshe Alon. Alon has been Elizabeth Taylor's security man for some years, making sure that stalkers and fans keep away from her.

He oversaw her marriage to Larry Fortensky, and earlier this week was hired by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston to make sure there were no papparazzi pictures of their $1m wedding.

Pitt and Aniston kept under canvas, plus balloons

Alon is believed to have been trained by Mossad, the Israeli secret service, and was reported as having combed the canyons near the site of the Pitt-Aniston party. He could do the same on the Tuscan hills and valleys where the Blairs will be relaxing.

2) Rely on mirrors and the sun

Or if that's not enough, there are a number of other techniques used by Brad and Jennifer. They could stage their whole holiday in a tent, like the wedding, with a series of connecting tented corridors. This could frustrate any photographer buzzing above in a helicopter. But to make absolutely sure, the Blairs could send up coloured balloons to obstruct the view. And they could even place mirrors on the ground to reflect the sun and create an "anti-papparazzi glare", as Mr and Mrs Pitt reportedly did.

3) Wear flares

If none of that works, there is another solution, and it's British. Backflash is a Nottingham company which last year launched an anti-photographic device which detects an incoming flash and in a split second emits a corresponding flash. This has the effect of "fogging" photographs: the company claims it can be used to implement no photo rules in museums and galleries, but to many people it's obvious application would be to prevent their car being caught by speed cameras. (Backflash itself says it should not be used to evade traffic cameras when it launched the product last year. At the London Motor Show.)

4) Follow the Van

Van Morrison: Knows where to find a quiet life

It will of course make a big difference where the Blairs choose to go on holiday. They have been going to Tuscany for many years, and love it so much that they keep returning. But they could choose to go to Killiney or Dalkley, two villages south of Dublin.

The villages are so used to having celebrities to stay that the very famous can walk around without any bother. Bono and his U2 colleague The Edge live there, as does Simple Minds' Jim Kerr. George Michael, Bruce Springsteen and Sir Paul McCartney have also stayed there. Elvis Costello and Van Morrison own properties nearby.

Bono said recently: "You can really unwind here and as an added bonus you will never get hassled down the street." Sounds ideal.

5) Wakeham up

There's the law, of course. California has introduced legislation protecting the privacy of celebrities (and everybody else too). Its civil code forbids invading privacy with intent to capture "any type of visual image...of the plaintiff engaging in a personal or familial activity...in a manner that is offensive to a reasonable person".

Lord Wakeham, maintaining self-regulation

There are hefty penalties for breaking this rule. In France, too, public people have their privacy protected, but rather than rely on the French or Italian laws to ensure their peace, the Blairs are much more likely to think of the British way of press regulation - that is self regulation.

Mr Blair has turned to the Press Complaints Commission's boss Lord Wakeham a number of times, most recently over the christening photos.

And the last thing the press wants to see is the introduction of Californian-style privacy laws, so perhaps the papers will abide by his wishes.

6)Rebrand themselves

Even if the established photographers follow the rules, there is always the chance that fellow holidaymakers will see the Blairs out and about and snap them, thinking they might be able to earn some cash from the newspapers. It might be wise then, for Mr Blair to nip round to a fancy dress shop near Downing Street and buy a family pack of Groucho Marx disguises.