Honestly, what do they teach them at Eton in return for all those gigantic fees? Well, obviously not commonsense! First we had a budget which was a train crash in terms of public relations, or rather, it showed up yet again that in the end public relations jiggery-pokery simply does not work. They leaked everything they could beforehand, making great play of the likely cut to high earners's income tax and then tried to slip the "granny tax" through in the small print. From the scribblers' point of view, they had run out of things to say about the leaked topics so they had the time and the inclination after the budget announcement to dig a little deeper for something new. The result is that the government come out looking like a gang of OAP muggers.
Then we have the Cruddas crash. According to today's Telegraph (and every other MSM outlet), Cameron has hosted several dinners at No. 10 for the biggest Tory donors. I see nothing wrong in that, per se, because I suspect that the big donation and the chance to have dinner at No. 10 has far more to do with the wishes of 'Mrs. Moneybags' than it does with her rich husband. However, keeping it secret and, when found out, refusing to disclose the names, is the equivalent of dousing a fire with a can of petrol!
I understand, of course, that Cameron is a busy man who cannot attend to every detail but he's surrounded by young smarty-pants special advisors who are supposed to pick up on that sort of thing. All they have to do is ask themselves constantly, if such and such became public knowledge would it be "A Good Thing" or "A Bad Thing". If the latter, then it is best, Prime Minister, to announce it now because if we're found out later it will become a perfect shit storm! But then again, Cameron has a history of picking the worst possible advisors as we found out when he chose the ex-editor of the 'Screws of the World' to be his right-hand man - DUH!
The man at the heart of this mini SHLOCK-HORROR story, Peter Cruddas, is an interesting fellow.
According to Wiki he was born and raised in Hackney where he lived on a council estate. His father worked at Smithfield Market and Peter left school at 15 with precisely nil qualifications. He put his consequent success down to his membership of the Boy Scouts and the discipline it gave him. He managed to get a foot in the door working as a trader on various trading floors eventually specialising in foreign exchange. He started his own company which flourished to the point where he is now a multi-millionaire with houses in London and the south of France. In a total refutation of the lazy characterisation of the Left that all rich men are bloodsuckers on our society, Cruddas gives away an enormous amount of money to various charities each year. He should be a Tory poster-boy!
Restaurants and hot food outlets have to charge VAT on their sales, does Cameron?
Posted by: Neil E Dunne | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 09:21
Neil, welcome to D&N, and you make a good point but I think Cameron is a hot air salesman which is, of course, VAT free. Well, if it wasn't, we wouldn't have a budget deficit!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 09:42
BUT - hot air has been processed for human consumption and, like pasties and hot pies, should carry VAT. There should be a levy on the product since creating any product through the use of energy affect Global Warming.
In addition --- If 10 Downing Street is being used for business purposes Cameron should be assessed for rent and business rates?
Posted by: Neil E Dunne | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 09:56
Er, Neil, you're not from Her Maj's Inland Revenue and Customs, are you?
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 10:24
David - If I was I'd not last long. I'd target those I despise but they'd be my 'superiors' and they don't like boat rockers, apple cart upsetters or 'it up them'.
Posted by: Xopher | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 10:35
You scurvy fellow, have you forgotten how to tug a forelock and bend a knee? You'll not go far!
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 11:25
"You'll not go far!"
I couldn't tug a forelock, bend a knee or sell my soul to the devil. As a result I never did go far and with luck will be here for a while longer. Happy but socially unacceptable it seems!
Posted by: Neil E Dunne | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 14:47
Happiness is a sin, so the gloomier sort of parson tells us.
Posted by: David Duff | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 16:33
"Cameron is a busy man who cannot attend to every detail but he's surrounded by young smarty-pants special advisors"
His carelessness is all the more remarkable, as he is naught but one of those young smarty-pants special advisors himself.
Posted by: Whyaxye | Monday, 26 March 2012 at 17:53