Hands off
James Forsyth 4:54pm
There is a lot of waste and needles expenditure in Whitehall but it is, frankly, pathetic of Greg Hands to try and make a fuss about Hazel Blears having a couple of Spanish lessons before attending a summit in Spain or Peter Mandelson being taught how to use a Blackberry. The reputation of politicians is low-enough without MPs spending time and money on this kind of absurd gotcha exercise. Hands really should reflect before asking any more of this kind of question; they might get his name in the paper but what good do they serve?
However, as Iain Dale notes, The Sunday Times story about Stephen Ladyman does not reflect well on the former minister and suggests that the rules regard MPs lobbying on behalf of companies are far too lax. It is quite remarkable to read Ladyman brazenly declaring that if firms that don’t have MPs lobbying for them feel they are at a disadvantage they “can hire MPs.”
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Anthony
November 23rd, 2008 5:18pm Report this commentI quite agree and I applaud both Iain Dale and yourself for telling it how it is. I speak as somebody who isn't exactly awash with kind words for either Blears or Mandelson but this is a manufactured "outrage" of the very worst kind.
Goodnight Vienna
November 23rd, 2008 5:33pm Report this comment"needles"? Since when did Whitehall take up sewing? Unless, of course, it was to stitch up the electorate ... ...
C Powell
November 23rd, 2008 6:07pm Report this commentI disagree: why should the taxpayer fund Blears' Spanish lessons. There are interpreters and translators at EU summits so a few lessons in Spanish are hardly likely to make any difference to her language skills. These lessons are not essential to her work and would not be allowed by the IR as allowable expenses for any other employee. And as for Blackberry lessons - this is beyond satire - it took an IT employee about 5 minutes to show me how to work it and if I didn't understand there was a booklet in the box it came in which told me all I needed to know. Lessons indeed...!
It's a disgrace, frankly, that MPs think they can get us poor mugs to pay for absolutely everything they want - from plasma TVs to language lessons regardless of whether these things are essential for their work for us.
It may not be a "scandal" but it is emblematic of a political class which has lost touch with what public service means and how this sort of behaviour
Chuck Unsworth
November 23rd, 2008 6:44pm Report this commentAgreed. Hands is being very silly. Anyway, I'd have preferred to see taxpayers' money being spent on teaching Blears something approaching English. Much better value for money. Too much to hope for that she might learn some sense, though.
alex r
November 23rd, 2008 7:33pm Report this commentthink it is just polite of blears. think she is one of the better guys.
David
November 23rd, 2008 8:00pm Report this commentA bit silly to complain, though I can't think of anything worse than Blears translating her class-warrior shtick into another language so you can't rip it to pieces.
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