The Independent is reporting that David Cameron is to get a scaled down version of the American President's Air Force One. A private plane all to his little prime ministerial self. Sweet.
That's right. As we are cutting and trimming and letting die or indeed actively killing off poor people, closing down offices, hospitals, public heath, reducing expenditure, dismantling the welfare state, Daft Dave the Piggy Fiddler of Old London Town is to get his own private plane.
Well, some of you will say, and so he should. He went to Eton and Oxford.
Of course it has been pointed out that members of the royal family may be able to use it too... so I imagine that Airmiles will have it on permanent loan doing trips from London to St Andrews in accordance with His Royal Fatness's tee times!
The plane will be apparently be refitted at a cost of a mere £10 million (given their ability to get nothing done on time or on budget, call that £20 million) and will replace the cost of chartering flights, because of course someone as important as the Eton Boy couldn't possibly take a scheduled flight like other people, including the Queen!
The story they are putting out is that it will save money in the long term...but it has also come to light that every other attendee at the recent G20 meeting came in his or her own private plane. Dave was the only leader in the top ranked countries to arrive on the bus. And he doesn't like that at all. Some dreary politician was on the radio this morning whining about the status of the country was at stake.
It is claimed that the plane will not be luxurious... so why is it costing at least £10 million for the refit? Seriously, if it is to save money transporting the PM about the world, why would refits be necessary? What is good enough for soldiers off to risk their lives should be good enough for a pompous oaf off to agree with everything President Obama says, or a fat useless old man off to play golf.
Ho hum...
I wonder how many people they'll have to throw off Incapacity Benefits to pay for this!
I rather like that squirrel plane. But yeah money is no object when it comes to something that will benefit Tories and the chums. The plebs can just die if they don't like it. Actually they can just die anyway unless they are servants because they need them to do servile stuff.
ReplyDeleteI think the squirrel plane is what the little oink (if you pardon the pun) should get.
DeleteIt's all about prestige. if François Hollande has a plane then HE should have a plane.
I'm sure the French can no more afford a plane for their president than the Brits can for their... whatever he is... but I'm not paying French tax, and I am paying Brit tax.
For my money the wee SPIV can catch the bloody bus.
Catch the bloody bus?
ReplyDeleteWonder if Oxfordshire County Council do concessionary bus passes for Utter Bastards? Maybe just pay up and complain about too many being paid out of limited LA funds at some distant point in the future, like they did the last time.
Am getting too pissed off to laugh anymore, at what the nawsayers have dumped on us.
HV... you absolutely have to keep on laughing at them, otherwise the tossers have won.
DeleteBroon veto'd it because he couldn't have one as well.
ReplyDeleteAnd THAT two certainly couldn't have shared one!!!
DeleteIf you think that is expensive, you should see what was spent during the 80s and 90s.
ReplyDeleteThere was an article on the BBC a couple of days ago about this. Can't remember what country it was, but the president / prime minister got rid of the official plane to save costs.
And on Radio 4's the Now Show tonight, a comedian did an article, semi-serious, about the guidance given to the assessors for disability allowance (or whatever it is called).
He focused on people who have sever incontinence, which is also an effect of MS. If the person affected can - wait for this - "stand up without problems during the assessment " (ie get up from the chair) then they may be considered fit for work. Although I think this was changed after a court case.
Nice to see our caring government........
zog
Acutally, Zog, I don;t think that it is incredibly expensive. But I think it is a waste.
DeleteHe could get scheduled flights like other people do.
Becoming a prime minister doesn't mean that your bottom changes shape and you can no longer fit into seats made for ordinary people. it's all about prestige.
Ten million isn't much but it his sense of entitlement that gets me. Different if the country was doing well... but of course it isn't. Otherwise we wouldn't need to have working people using food banks.
I was just off to listen to The now Show... Thanks for the preview. They really are good.
Although political satire must be getting more and more difficult, given the behaviour of the politicians themselves. You kinda wonder why we need political satirists any more.
The shape of your Bottom may not change but the size of your Head very definitely does when you become HM Prime Minister.
DeleteCameron sees himself as a 21st Century Churchill who is going to impose his will on others because,after all,he is a very important person and nothing else really matters.
LOL True... maybe he sits on his head...
DeleteBy the way, the section of the Now Show on disability was very good... (thanks Zog)
On Iplayer now.
Spot on re the Churchill comment.
DeleteWhilst there is a lot about Churchill that makes uneasy reading, he truly was the right leader during WW2. At least he bloody well served in the Armed Forces.
Cameron also tries to play the military genius, clearly forgetting that due to the almighty cuts he's imposed, a repeat of the Falklands campaign simply could not happen.
Tris, the Now Show, News Quiz, Mock the Week and Have I got News for You are the best satirical shows out there. Not forgetting Rory Bremner of course. And all the help without overpaid BBC management,
zog
Used to love The News Quiz, Zog, but Miles Jupp is no Sandi Toksvig!!
DeleteZog with regard to the above shows, sickened with the Anti Scots remarks on HIGNFY during the referendum, gave up. Sick of Anti Scots remarks on Mock the Week which got a much worse after Frankie Boyle left the show, but he at least gave as good as he got. Rory Bremner, well enough said.
DeleteHelena, I never get wound up about humour. I lived in England for years. Frankie Boyle was one of the worst offenders with jokes about Scotland! To be honest I don't watch HIGNFY often, preferring radio comedy.
DeleteThe difference is that is genuine satire, not bullshit dished out by commentators and sections of the media.
zog
Tris
ReplyDeleteYou will no doubt be surprised that I am not that bothered with this one if it actually saves some money in the long run and the Windsor's don't get to abuse it but I suspect that this was not Cameron's motive when this decision was made. I think I read someplace that we spend around 20 + million a year using other transport as they all travel business and first class anyway. No economy flight for our betters. It does send the wrong message though in these tough times and I do accept that and I would like to see the plane used for many things not just taking Cameron and his wife and kids on holiday, but no doubt that is what will happen. I'm not against the principle of it but it's a pity it's that prick that will get to use it.
Bruce
Actually, no, Bruce, I'm not surprised, becasue you are right, the costs are quite low.
DeleteFrankly I doubt that it will cost less, although that is what they are saying. They lie about almost everything so, I don't believe them. It will cost more to fit it out but the truth will be kept from us for security reasons. It will cost a fortune to guard and to run and again this will be top secret becasue if the enemy found out how much it cost to keep it safe, they'd be able to work out how to make it unsafe.
I think it is more to do with that pompous little man's vanity and him being upset that at the G20 summit everyone else but him had a private jet.
He will want a Yacht as well. The trouble with PM's and Presidents and Queens is that they get so far away from those they set to rule and unfortunately I blame the terrorists for making it easy for them.
DeleteI was shocked to learn that President Hollande is joint prince of Andorra, how do you square that with Republicanism.
Yes, it's a strange arrangement where the principality has two co princes. One is the french president and the other is a Bishop from somewhere in Northern Spain.
DeleteOf course neither of them have any role at all in running Andorra, which is democratically ruled from the valleys... and doing quite nicely.
The smaller the country, the nearer to ordinary people the president...or queen is.
The trouble with the UK that they put a huge gap between the rulers and the ruled.
it was probably suitable for 100 years ago. It's plain silly and laughable now.
Get a cheap flight like the rest of us do for work Dave.
And let the world judge us on how many poor people we starve to death, not how big your plane is.
I think you're right re the costs, the government are as competent as Wile E. Coyote; when it comes to keeping contracts on time and budget.
ReplyDeleteI see the electrification of the rail way from their capital to Cardiff has doubled in price...
DeleteWho's in charge of this?
Rarely if ever does a government contract / project come in under budget. Main reason is that governments employ idiots to negotiate contracts with professionals. I spent 2 years (long time ago!) as part of an audit team. We picked up at least 3 issues where the contractor was charging a bloody fortune for an engineer contract, when all that was needed was for someone to press a reset button, no qualifications required.
DeleteWas there not a tram project in England that actually was completed under budget? Not sure where but definitely happened.
zog
Ha ha... There has to bean exception to every rule, I suppose.
DeleteYes, civil servants never were supposed to be businessmen... otherwise they'd have been businessmen.
They get swindled by real businessmen, who play them for idiots.