By being so cheap, Pound devalues himself
James Forsyth 12:16pm
The Daily Mirror is very exercised by the fact that David Cameron has 12 secretaries. It reports that Cameron has “five correspondence secretaries, two diary secretaries, a personal assistant, two private secretaries, one assistant private secretary and an office secretary.”
This is actually a relatively small number when you consider that Cameron doesn’t, unlike the Prime Minister, have a multitude of civil servants working for him. But Stephen Pound, the quote happy Labour MP, has seen fit to join in with the Mirror’s outrage, telling the paper, "Not even the President of the United States needs 12 secretaries.” Now, a quick look at the White House staff list reveals that the President and the First Lady have a 27 strong correspondence unit and 27 people doing scheduling and advance work for them. In other words, Pound’s comment is misleading and ill-informed. (And no, I’m not suggesting that the leader of the opposition needs a staff as big as the President of the United States. All I’m pointing out is how wrong Pound was).
Pound isn’t the only MP — and it isn’t only Labour MPs — who is happy to lend a quote to any story bashing their opponents regardless of its merits. But with the reputation of politics already so low, shouldn’t MPs be a bit more discriminating?
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Cjamesk
August 4th, 2009 2:27pm Report this commentIt doesn`t matter, no one is listening to this Government anyway.
David Blackburn
August 4th, 2009 2:27pm Report this commentDear CoffeeHousers,
We apologise for the delay in uploading comments over the past 48 hours. We have been beset with techinical difficulties. If anyone would like to contact to me about missing posts, do so at dblackburn @ spectator.co.uk.
David
August 4th, 2009 2:30pm Report this commentWhat's more this information has been out there for ages; there's actually a list on the Parliament website of all such staff. And Pound doesn't care about the reputation of politics; he just cares about getting his big, gurning face in front of cameras or in his words into print.
oldtimer
August 4th, 2009 2:36pm Report this commentIt is infantile stuff like this that brings politics and politicians into disrepute. No wonder 99.9% of the public switch off.
Percy
August 4th, 2009 2:47pm Report this commentI wouldn't worry too much about Stephen Pound, with a majority of only 6,159 I doubt he'll be around after next June and will be rightfully forgotten very quickly.
Kate
August 4th, 2009 2:53pm Report this commentAll these "misleading" quotes smack of desperation.
rmh
August 4th, 2009 2:58pm Report this commentStephen Pound is talking rubbish shock.
If you see his lips a moving you knowing he is .....
Conlige suspectos semper habitos
August 4th, 2009 3:04pm Report this commentThe difference is the Conservative Party pays for Cameron's 'secretaries whereas the taxpayer pays for Brown's 'advisors'.
Richard Holloway
August 4th, 2009 3:12pm Report this commentWhere's the journalist checking his quote with the facts and telling the MP he's wrong?
Mike Spilligan
August 4th, 2009 3:21pm Report this commentWhy doesn't Pound highlight the fact that the Cabinet Office alone has 1,279 civil servants, employed at our expense?
Jonathan Cook
August 4th, 2009 3:25pm Report this commentIs the number of secretaries at any one time, directly proportional to the number of people writing to David Cameron complaining about a Labour government?
Andy Leeds
August 4th, 2009 3:29pm Report this commentPound is an idiot. Why listen to a word he says.
And lets be knowing how many staff he employs, and how many he pays for out of his own pocket and how many we - the long suffering taxpayer - have to pay for.
Kevyn Bodman
August 4th, 2009 4:01pm Report this comment1)It's not a small number.
And:
2)It doesn't matter whether he has 2 or 200. He can run his office as he sees fit.
Unless he is a silly and inadequate man who boasts about many people are working for him because he needs to practise self-aggrandisement then I don't care how big his office staff is.
I am no fan of Cameron because I don't think he is nearly robust enough on policy; but I doubt if he is one of those silly inadequates.
Mirtha Tidville
August 4th, 2009 4:06pm Report this commentPound is an arse and a rather stupid one at that.He is, in short, a rent a quote.People like him think this is the way to keep yourself in the public (and voters) eye..Hope he gets booted next May...
Barry
August 4th, 2009 4:08pm Report this commentWell, technically he is correct. The president of the united states doesn't need 12 secretaries, he needs 54...
Bardirect
August 4th, 2009 4:21pm Report this commentWhat's the appearance money for these slots on R4, Sky etc? He does seem to turn up quite a lot.
Tankus
August 4th, 2009 4:45pm Report this commentnever let the truth get in the way of a good sound bite .
Chuck Unsworth
August 4th, 2009 4:54pm Report this commentPound again, eh?
The man is a complete clown. I can think of few MPs who one could so accurately describe as a buffoon. He does this sort of faux Mr Angry routine which is neither convincing, nor intimidating nor even particularly funny. Surely he must be able to do better than this? Could we not start a fund to send him to RADA or, as the late Peter Sellers might have suggested, Anywhere?
TrevorsDen
August 4th, 2009 5:26pm Report this commentPound is just a rent-a-gob.
I am amazed at the respect he is accorded in some circles of the media.
Bodman - Conservative policy is going to be severely constrained by the need to reduce the deficit. We must hope they are successful in getting more for less. My own hope is that in this first stage we also get a simplification of the tax and benefits system.
The main thing we want is less government not more. Fewer policies are not a bad thing as long as the ones we do have get the state off our back. it seems to me Cameron has been espousing that.
But to be honest I do not care (well I do but other things matter as well) - what our nation needs is the removal of this utterly useless lying and corrupt government.
TrevorsDen
August 4th, 2009 5:37pm Report this commentBTW - both Pound and The Mirror should realise that Cameron has all these secretaries but (unlike Prescott) he is not feking any of them.
Alex
August 4th, 2009 5:39pm Report this commentScary looking bchap, Stephen Pound.
Alex
August 4th, 2009 5:40pm Report this commentScary looking chap, Steven Pound.
mitch
August 4th, 2009 5:46pm Report this commentThis fool is just a rentaquote, stick a mic in his face and mention a topic and off he goes.No thoughts just drivel, I just tune him out.
Arthur
August 4th, 2009 5:59pm Report this commentCjamesk,
Yes it does matter. Our treasonous politicians lie to us. That matters very much.
Battle 2807
August 4th, 2009 8:09pm Report this commentMr Pound would be hard pushed to devalue himself any more than he already has.
Surely no one takes this man seriously any more (apart from Mr Pound????)
Victor Southern
August 4th, 2009 8:19pm Report this commentMr Punch conveniently forgot to mention that the taxpayer does not pay the salaries of Cameron's staff.
They do, however, pay for Brown's staff and his host of spin doctors and political advisors - all obviously poor value for money.
Austin Barry
August 4th, 2009 8:28pm Report this commentI like Pound. He is Mr Punch personified.
2trueblue
August 5th, 2009 12:55am Report this commentIS this news?
Monkey Chops
August 5th, 2009 12:49pm Report this commentGrandpa Munster. Back to the crypt with you!
Chuck Unsworth
August 5th, 2009 8:09pm Report this commentAnd Pound always reminds me of Sam the Eagle (in so many ways):
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/muppet/images/0/02/Sam02.jpg
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