Gordon Brown’s In The Black, Tory Party Parties & Bob Kylie Tells All
Strapped For Cash
The fall-out from the recent Budget continues with government figures now showing that the disposable income of households grew last year at the slowest rate since 1982, says the Telegraph.
Ballooning mortgage payments and utility bills along with rising taxes are to blame. The Office For National Statistics suggests British families were losing an average of £22 each in the final quarter of last year.
This rather unimpressive news comes on the back of the disclosure that 5.3 million people would be worse off as a result of the Chancellor’s Budget last week.
Citigroup’s Michael Saunders puts it nicely: “The fruits of growth continue to go chiefly to the Chancellor and corporate profits, and not consumers”.
Cash On A Plate
Put away your tuxedos, party dresses and best hooray-henry guffaws, the era of the Tory fund-raising bash could be over.
The Mirror reports that the Conservatives are facing a ban on ‘cash for dinners’ banquets by the over-worked Commons Sleaze watchdog.
Reports claim that the party of Opposition have raked in over £1 million a year from their ‘lavish feasts’ in the House of Commons dining rooms, with voice-of-the-people David Cameron thought to have raised £100,000.
However, Standards Commissioner Sir Philip Mawer is likely to outlaw the practice and give the Tories a slap on the wrist for exploiting Parliament.
But isn’t that what all the political parties do? What are they without Parliament?
Kylie Should Be So Lucky
One of the great phenomena of New Labour’s Britain, the ‘consultant’, has a new king – step forward Bob Kiley.
The72-year old American, brought over by Ken Livingston to erm, ‘consult’ on London’s transport system, has admitted to receiving up to £737,500 over two and a half years for doing, in his words, “not much”.
According to the Guardian, the former CIA man, who also admitted to having a drink problem, quit his job as London’s transport tsar back in 2005 but is still picking up a rather hefty ‘retainer’ as well as enjoying the comforts of the £2 million grace and favour Belgravia townhouse Red Ken bought for him on behalf of Transport for London.
When asked about his continuing fees by the Evening Standard, Kiley’s reply is sure to embarrass Livingstone: “If you ask me what I actually do to earn my consultancy I’d have to tell you, in all honesty, not much”.
What price honesty?
Picture: Poldraw
Posted: 29th, March 2007 | In: Money Comment (1) | TrackBack | Permalink
