It never ceases to amaze me just how greedy some people can be.
And another thing I can never get quite used to is how secretive our government can be, despite the Freedom of Information Act .
This is all about Blair...well, the word "greed" was a hint.
Apparently when he left office, he took with him 76 prime ministerial gifts including 12 expensive watched, nine of which were presented to him by the Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi. (It looks like Silvio, for all his money, lacks imagination.) He also took a guitar signed by the U2 singer, Bono.
Ministers are allowed to keep anything worth under £140. They are allowed to buy gifts worth more than that at the market value, less £140. (Why less £140 I do not know.) The Cabinet Office and Mr Blair's office are not letting on how much he paid for the items. But my bet is tha
t a guitar signed by Bono wouldn’t be a cheap item.
But here’s the rub. It took a campaigner against waste in government, Lee Rotherham, 10 months to obtain the list and required two interventions by the Information Commissioner. Why is our government so careful with information that could not possibly be of use to our enemies, and only shows what greedy, grasping, self-serving cretins we have had for leaders?
And another thing I can never get quite used to is how secretive our government can be, despite the Freedom of Information Act .
This is all about Blair...well, the word "greed" was a hint.
Apparently when he left office, he took with him 76 prime ministerial gifts including 12 expensive watched, nine of which were presented to him by the Italian PM, Silvio Berlusconi. (It looks like Silvio, for all his money, lacks imagination.) He also took a guitar signed by the U2 singer, Bono.
Ministers are allowed to keep anything worth under £140. They are allowed to buy gifts worth more than that at the market value, less £140. (Why less £140 I do not know.) The Cabinet Office and Mr Blair's office are not letting on how much he paid for the items. But my bet is tha
t a guitar signed by Bono wouldn’t be a cheap item.But here’s the rub. It took a campaigner against waste in government, Lee Rotherham, 10 months to obtain the list and required two interventions by the Information Commissioner. Why is our government so careful with information that could not possibly be of use to our enemies, and only shows what greedy, grasping, self-serving cretins we have had for leaders?
Where would you be without Uncle Berlie?
ReplyDeleteClub Med needs its clown ...
I wish he'd buy me a watch Dean...
ReplyDeleteI bet Blair flogs them so he's got even more money in the bank.
LOL, its Steptoe and Son! LOL hahahaha
ReplyDeleteI read that this morning Tris! Maybe he uses them to match his hankies. :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he got to use some of them while he was PM. If so, as a world leader, maybe he had them set to different time zones around the globe.
ReplyDeleteHe called his close friend, our former President DubYa, quite a lot. And it wouldn't do to ring up the Prez at an inconvenient time. For that matter, there are six time zones that he would have needed to keep track of.
Dean: That's pretty much the image he manages to give. Rag and Bone man...loads of money, no class!
ReplyDeleteGood suggestion SR. He is that kind of vain. What on earth was berlusconi thinking of giving him all these watches. Did he not expect them to last?
ReplyDeleteLOL Danny. That's it! He has then plastered all the way up his wrist and he can consult them depending on where the big boss from the big white house is!
ReplyDeleteVery practical! ;¬)
Danny's time zones seems most plausable as they have to check up on their investments around the world!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.channel4.com/programmes/dispatches/4od#3129949
Cuts anyone or is hanging less bloody.
Thanks for that link CH. A couple of mates have watched it already and say it is very good!!
ReplyDeleteI'll watch it tonight.
Watched it now CH.
ReplyDeleteExcellent programme showing what a set of hypocrites govern us.
Bellingham, Osborne, Hammond, Green, Mitchell... oinks the lot.
"Let’s all pull together... let’s all come together......" Yeah, I know what you can pull you pratt.
They have all taken pay cuts, and a pay freeze.
ReplyDeleteTell me, has Salmond done that with his salary? Oh wait ... nah ... he's too busy claiming expenses on his food budget!
Blair, like the rest of them, are only in it for what they can get out of it!
ReplyDeleteWhat guff Dean - they can all afford to with not only the wages the are on as MP's, ministers etc but because most of them already have a wee pile stashed away.
The Scottish government took a pay freeze two years ago Dean. That's what they did.
ReplyDeleteBilly... not only do they have a wee pile stashed away, but some of them appear to have it stashed away in British Virgin Islands where, surprise, surprise, there's no tax!
ReplyDeleteAnd... although the BVI have had to come to the UK for bail outs because of the banking crisis, there is still no taxation. Doubtless because members of the Cabinet would lose out if there was.
Watch the Despatches programme that Cynical Highlander linked above, if you want to know more.
It's a real scandal.