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Well Brown is reportedly in Scotland doing "charity work". Didn't do much charitably for this country did he?

Mandelson is a lover of exotic and champagne socialist type leisure but I doubt if he would be seen on a yacht again.

Now, David Cameron last year went to the West Country. Laudable. Exemplary.

Nobody in charge of the country? Nothing could be worse than Prescott playing croquet in former years now could it?

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#1
Now, David Cameron this year is going to France. Shameful. Wrong.

I used to work with a scientist who was "booked" onto a space flight for scientific reasons (Kodak) - Dr Padday. However, I think the flight before blew up killing those on board and Dr Padday's plans were put on hold and, as I remember, never quite realised.

Hopefully Nigel Evans' friend will have a safe and fruitful voyage.

3. At 12:26pm on 07 Aug 2009, sagamix wrote:
so H has been sacked, has she? ... too good at the job, was that it? ... you know, showing up all the useless (male) empty suits?

------------------------------------------------------------------------She's on leave grumpy

4. Pop - why wrong? He is not yet in charge of the country.

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"Poprishchin wrote:
#1
Now, David Cameron this year is going to France. Shameful. Wrong."

Now be fair France isn't that bad some bits of it are quite nice!

Personally I don't really care where MPs go on their super-long holidays. If they spend the time building sand castles on the Cornish coast then it is just a publicity stunt anyway. At least if they fly off somewhere then they are not trying to treat us like fools.

Last year when DC spent the holiday on the beach it wasn't because he was cutting back because of the recession or trying to promote the UK as a tourist destination it was because of how he thought it would look to the public. After the expenses scandal it would look even more fake IMO.

Is it just me who finds it deeply scary that we have an unelected person currently running the country?

Interesting picture is it challenger or Columbia (I have great admiration
for lost that were lost on these flights, so no afence to them )

could that be the fait of Zanu-labour or the UK economy.

Did we have such long recesses in WWII ?
Did WSC have a long holiday during this period then ?

Given the mess we are in ,worst since the dawn of time,think there should be clear leadership at the helm and they should have given up on there holidays

It beggers belief that with the time available over the summer recess that they couldn't organise it for 'one' person to stand in while Gordo is on leave. It's not that hard is it? I'm sure those who post on this blog who either run their own companies, or simply manage a team, ensure there is some continuity of control when they are away on their holiday.

On the other hand, nothing surprises me with this lot.

As many on these blogs have said before, Mandelson has been running the country for some time now.

Meanwhile Flash is up in the 'lang toun' practicing for his enforced retirement next year.

Now that's what I call being practical, and need I say, a tad sensible. A trait he doesn't often use.

11. At 1:12pm on 07 Aug 2009, IR35_SURVIVOR wrote:

Interesting picture is it challenger or Columbia (I have great admiration
for lost that were lost on these flights, so no afence to them )

It's actually the Launch of the Endeavour, I think.

Don't know whether you still think it's appropriate...

"Downing Street has just told us that Lord Mandelson has since taken over the day-to-day running of the government ..."

Hasn't he been running the government day-to-day for months now?

11. I was offered a position in the House of Commons in the early seventies partly because I had worked for HM Treasury. I was told at the interview that I would have parliamentary recesses off, if I recollect about six weeks at least in the summer, Easter, Christmas holidays and half days Fridays.

When I looked surprised they told me they never advertised that benefit when recruiting - for obvious reasons.

#7 Fla
Why is David Cameron 'laudable' and 'exemplary' just because one of the holidays he took last year was in Britain. It looks like he spent a hell of a lot more money on the Turkish jaunt!

#9 Mark_WE
I meant David Cameron is shameful and wrong not France.
Apologies to any frog readers!

Prospects for Zanu-NuLabour do not look bright. Harman's rantings are reminisent of Tony Benn in the last days of the 'Sunny Jim' Callaghan' government. In a similar way, Benn, who had held serious cabinet posts, went 'off the rails' when it became clear that labour was about to lose power. He too went 'bonkers' and started spouting about ideological socialism. This presaged years of infighting and distraction in Labour that resulted in Michael Foot as leader, and the 1983 election debacle.

Harman's outbursts are a harbinger of things to come in Labour, this time with ideological feminism (all men are rapists etc) as the issue.
Brown is clearly too damaged and weak to prevent this, and much now depends on Mandelson's politcal instincts and realism in averting a fracture that will otherwise deprive them of power for a generation as in the 1980s/90s.

The picture is that of the launch of Endeavour (STS-118), August 8th 2007.

You are worse than a politician for not answering questions POPSICK

I will ask you again: Why is David Cameron "Wrong and Shameful" for taking his holiday in France?

In English please.

"Poprishchin wrote:

#9 Mark_WE
I meant David Cameron is shameful and wrong not France.
Apologies to any frog readers!"

Sorry, I did get that it was just my sense of humour :)

I saw the headline.

I saw the picture.

I saw the names Brown, Harman and Mandelson.

Then, for a brief, fleeting moment, I thought some genius has managed to create the B-Ark -

And we were saved.

Sadly, I was soon brought back to earth with... well... back to earth.

grief this country under the control of Lord Mandelson, well if i had the money i would get out quick.
there is an old saying about the animals running the zoo and it seems more apt today than ever.
why not just hand this country over to some european beurocrat and be done with it.
is Lord Mandelson elected or is he one of the back room mob that run the government.

Isn't it better than none of them is in London? Inaction by anyone in the current government is prefereble to action. Why don't they just stay away completely. I think this shows that it doesn't matter where they are. The Armed Forces can run Labour's wars for them, and the Treasury, BoE and (the other one) have been running the economy for years. There's no money left for anyone else to do anything practical, so no decisions are needed.

Laura, I wonder if any of those NuLabour politicians will be sat on some far flung tropical beach reading the latest 'Independent' and wonder if its worthwhile coming back?

Guess the monetary drag factor will decide their conundrum. MPs are in the top 3% earners even before you account for their lavish expenses.

One can only live in hope

Roll On 2010

Mandelson at the helm where he likes to be. The whole thing is starting to parody itself. Gordon moodily feeding the homeless drunks in his home toon telling them that he understands & then scaring them with the Francis bacon smile. Meanwhile Mandy has flung the wine cabinet open at No. 10 & invited all his Oligarch mates over for schnapps & poker!

I expect Chariot Iscariot Harman is sporting a crew cut and bellowing "There'll be a woman atop this party yet me hearties!!"

Oops, just took a call from HRH Queen Elisabeth. Apparently Mandelson wants to annex Buckingham Palace as one of his grace and favour pads... tiara's and all!

This government is a bad joke!

They say bad news comes in threes.

1) Peter Mandelson is acting PM.

2) Personal insolvencies are at record heights.

3) England are all out for 102 before 2.30.

"While the PM, as we know, is taking his short break in the UK, some MPs are off to much more exotic destinations. The top prize among those listed in today's Mirror has to go to Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for the Ribble Valley.

Reportedly, he hopes to watch a friend blast off into space at Cape Canaveral."

===

I suppose there's no chance it is "Jimmy" Brown with a one-way ticket!

Funny innit? Harperson said the country should never again be left to be run by men. The next day she went on holiday and left the top seat vacant!!

You couldn't make it up!!

Laura says..."Nigel Evans, Conservative MP for the Ribble Valley.Reportedly, he hopes to watch a friend blast off into space at Cape Canaveral."

Could Nigel kindly arrange for his chum to give up his seat in favour of Lord Mandy?
I am sure we could raise the cost of a non-return fare

Peter Meddlesome would have been in charge but Harridan Harperson had already abolished all men before he arrived at work.

Flimflam
You are obviously a supporter of David Cameron. Fine. You admire him and think his actions in holidaying in Britain last year are 'laudable' and 'exemplary'. A tad OTT perhaps but I can understand, at a pinch, what you're getting at. However, after his homely little (well-publicised) holiday in Britain he then went on a sumptuous, luxury blow-out in Turkey (not well-publicised!) This year he will be reading trashy novels in France. Good! I did not mean that he is 'wrong and shameful' to go to France for his holiday: No, he is wrong and shameful because he is a British politician who was caught out trousering cash in the expenses scandal and, consequently, behaved like a gross hypocrite. Perhaps he is 'wrong and shameful' purely because he IS a British politician!
How's that?

WHY IS MANDY IN CHARGE?

WHO VOTED FOR HIM ANYWAY?

IS THERE NO ELECTED NEW LABOUR MP CONSIDERED ABLE TO STAND IN FOR THE PM?
(Don't bother answering this question......we all know there isn't).

This is not democracy. This is wrong, plain and simple.

34 Newthink

Isn't he is charge anyway?

...and yes it is not remotely democratic.

It does beg the question that if they can afford to take so much time off in the summer, what do they normally do or is the process of government self perpetuating?

Select committees breeding standing committees, leading to grand committees, advised by quangos etc.

Im asuming that because MPs have 3 months off and over half the plamentry time since April was taken up failing to put their expenses in order and electing a new speaker that we can have a 33% rebate from their pay this year?

After all at best they have only been working 50% of the time!

Aha Pop. You cannot dress it up by any other explanation. You clearly wrote what you wished you hadn't.

No doubt you will be off to live in France, then, when David Cameron is Prime Minister!

And as for the expenses - I do think we have done that to death now don't you? Why not start off on why Jonathan Ross that foul mouthered ´óÏó´«Ã½ presenter paid for by us, gets so much more than ANY politician?

I just checked my copy of "The Godfather" and, aside from being in hospital after being shot, Don Corleone never took a holiday. Could it be that "Don Gordo" is still in charge but from afar? Afterall, if his Consigliere, Lord Mandy, is in Corfu getting a tan, I cannot imagine that Don Gordo will not keep his hooded eyes open for any treachery. Now that just leaves us with the question whom Scary Harriet is playing - can't be Sonny or Michael but could it be Freddo of the lose lips? Tune in tomorrow for another chapter of The Godfather IV - The Decline and Fall of La Cosa Nostra Downing Street.

#35 Meninwhitecoats.
I guess you are right that he is in charge full stop.

It's the plain urinetaking that GB thinks it wise to leave one of the most unliked, untrusted, unelected individuals in charge. They have 3 months off for goodness sake. Surely (even disregarding the Afgan situation or the economy) the PM and the deputy PM could have arranged their holidays so that they did not overlap. Millions of normal workers have to plan their holidays around their colleagues.

It just shows the lack of judgement of this Government.
Could one of their advisors not have suggested to Gordy and Harriet, "Hey guys, don't think this will look that good". Makes you wonder about the quality of advice they get in general eh?

"newthink wrote:

It just shows the lack of judgement of this Government.
Could one of their advisors not have suggested to Gordy and Harriet, "Hey guys, don't think this will look that good". Makes you wonder about the quality of advice they get in general eh?"

Based on many peoples comments about Harman's week in charge maybe GB decided that having PM in charge would be the better choice and actively suggested she took a holiday :)

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Nobody has been running this country for years so why worry that this is confirmed by Downing Street?

Why is it shameful that an MP goes on holiday?
The public can't dictate how they live their life its their money they are spending - if they want to pay 10 grand to take the kids to caribean great for them.