to think George Osborne swanning around in the Royal Box at Wimbledon is wrong?

[LilyBolero]

George Osborne had prime seats in the Royal Box on Centre Court at Wimbledon yesterday, for the Federer/Tsonga match, and the Murray/Lopez match.

This REALLY annoys me. On the day when the Greeks were taking a critical decision, with riots in Athens, and implications for the whole world economy our hirsute Chancellor took the afternoon off.

On the day before hundreds of thousands of workers feel compelled to strike in protest at the prospect of a much grimmer future (whatever the rights or wrongs of that, this isn't a debate about strikes), our Chancellor took the afternoon off.

At a time when we are told ad nauseam that 'We are all in this together', the Chancellor took the afternoon off and went to the best seats at Wimbledon (incidentally, do they have to pay for those seats?).

MPs currently get very generous holidays. I don't suppose a teacher would be able to take the afternoon off to go to Wimbledon (in fact I have friends who have requested this and were given very short shrift). To those who say 'teachers get very good holidays and benefits, they knew about the fixed dates before they went into teaching' I would say 'MPs get very good holidays and benefits, they knew about the fixed dates before they went into politics'.

We pay the Chancellor's salary. I think he should be accountable.

YAdefNBU

he's a bit of a Marie Antoinette, that one

and I didn't mean hirsute
I meant esteemed. My typing is getting worse. Shouldn't try and do more than 1 thing at a time!

Here he is, who would think that a very very difficult and tight economic decision was being made, with implications for all? Certainly not George Osborne.

Cameron said earlier in PMQs that 'Ed Miliband didn't want to talk about Greece'. Looks like Osborne didn't want to either.

SHJ - definitely a Marie Antoinette. Does that mean we get to put him in the guillotine?

We are obviously not "all in it together"

I don't have a royal box....sniffs!

So, is everyone who earns more than tuppence ha'penny supposed to pretend they don;t and not spend a bean?

Cos yunno, the economy will REALLY pick up with that attitude.

JFTR, MP's earn about 60K. Hardly mega minted.

Do you not think that he perhaps should have been inthe office and on the end of a phone for the result of the greek vote? They're always banging on about Greece, but he seemingly couldn't care less what the world economy does, because, hey, it's wimbledon.

And his salary is well over 60k.

A Cabinet Minister earns £145k. Hardly the national average. But this isn't really about how much money he's got. It's about him having better things to do this week.

His salary before 'expenses' is £134,565.

Fairly minted.

yy, it's the timing that is so mind-boggling.

I know plenty of folk on or above that figure Lily.

A finance director in a smallish company would earn that, let alone the finance guy for the whole country.

But hey, I'm sure none of the labour lot ever swanned about like that....

It's not about salary. It's not about party politics. And even if someone on the other side 'did it', does that make it right? If someone else burgles a house, is it then ok for you to go burgling too? Didn't think so.

The point is that there were SIGNIFICANT economic events happening, he is well paid by us the taxpayer, to run the economy, and he wagged off. While momentous decisions were being made. And in a week where all sorts of people are unhappy about economic decisions, again with an impact on the whole country. And so he took the afternoon off.

I'd be equally down on a Labour, LibDEm, UKip, Green ,Monster Raving Loony if they did that.

And taking your 'finance director of a small company', I very much doubt that if a competitor/fellow business was taking a momentous decision with implications for your small company, and a load of your clients the following day were organising a high-profile media protest about your financial decisions, that the finance director would be able to take the afternoon off to go to Wimbledon.

Osbourne is minted, his family own the Osbourne wallpaper company or something.

I don't care about him spending his money to do stuff like this. But I hope he took a day out his annual leave - or all ministers just allowed to bunk off when they feel like it? And I agree that it doesn't look good in a week when teachers are striking, etc due to reforms he's been involved in.

I'm just suprised he was able ot venture out into sunlight without disappearing in a puff of smoke.

As my MIL says, there's something of the night about him - I think he eats babies.

They don't have 'annual leave' I don't think, because parliament is either in session or not (rather like school terms, but the recesses are far longer than the school holidays - 83 days recess just in the summer I believe, with other recesses throughout the year). They do undertake constituency work in the recesses, just as teachers do lesson prep etc. But yesterday afternoon - bunking off.

Also, do you have to pay for a ticket for the Royal Box? I would doubt it somehow - they're not exactly on release for sale!

YABVU. How do you know his working hours? If you're in government there's always something going on somewhere. Doesn't mean members can't take a little time out occasionally.

I am sure George Osborne does not work a standard 9-5 day, five days a week. I daresay he has many early 'breakfast' meetings, late nights, week ends, foreign travel, and so I don't begrudge him the odd afternoon off, whether at Wimbledon or at home with his family, digging the garden, putting out the rubbish...whatever he fancies. I think YABU.

"digging the garden and putting out the rubbish??"

roffle roffle roffle

You think it is reasonable for the Chancellor to be at Wimbledon while Athens (quite literally) burns, over economic decisions that could affect our economy massively?

Ok then.

and yes, there's always SOMETHING going on, but they are forever trotting out Greece, so you would think he would have shown a little bit more interest in what they decided.

In business, crisis comes along, and employees have to go in Saturdays and Sundays, work late, change plans, work every hour God sends. In government, an economic crisis comes along, and the Chancellor goes to Wimbledon.

Yes I do. It's not as if it hasn't been going on for weeks, and he's not across it. He has a team of ministers, plus there's the Foreign Office and its European team, and the PM etc etc. He can always be called back to the office if absolutely necessary.

Spring heeled Jack...was trying to think of all the run of the mill stuff he might get bogged down with at home!!

YABU. I don't know why you're suprised? Every politician ever known has been like this. It would be worth starting a thread if one wasn't. You're looking in the wrong place if you're looking for moral behaviour from an MP.

YANBU. It's deliberate. He's a goader and so is Dave. They disgust me.