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.

Think the Independent has been reading MNET!

Why is anyone surprised to see Gideon behaving so? He'll never be accountable for anything, he well knows this. He's a slimeball of the highest order not worth getting upset about, IMO.

Why can't a Tory be scum or a Labour supporter a twat? far as I can see no party has the copyright on idiocy. Sad really, hoped the BNP would act as a useful sieve but there you go.

Chen- so agree wrt to Vince. I gave away my copy of his autobiog to the chool fayre last week (Vince's, couldn;t even contemplate George's oh no, something about the way that man looks scares the bejeezus from me). Didn;t even mark the page where he launches into a fierce attack on Osborne and his unsuitability to run the economy, I must have given up.

Never mind, ds1 can take on the political mantle with added value: already being considered for a special mentoring course for public speaking.

I wasn't surprised, I was annoyed. The lack of surprise makes it even more annoying tbh.

This isn't a party-political issue to me. Even if I had voted Tory, I would still criticise GO's lack of judgment.

He really doesn't give a shit does he?

The thing that sticks in my throat is the fact that it demonstrates how little the economic crisis will affect the likes of Gideon (change my name to George to have the common touch) O and DC. At the end of the day, they can run the country into the ground, safe in the knowledge that their gilded existence will be safe and sound. 5 years trashing Britain, then a retirement as a tax exile to live out the rest of their lives on their millions.

People like Gideon O and DC have no idea what life is like for the majority of people in this country. They have lived charmed, cosseted lives with hired help and plenty of cash. I've said it before, but to them, the monthly child benefit is less than a bottle of wine. They don't actually have the experience to understand that it could make or break a families budget because they never have or never will worry about how to pay a bill or whether they will have roof(s) over their head next month.

GO and DC are playing a dangerous game. At least DC has the intelligence to realise that flaunting a posh hol in the middle of an economic crisis is bad PR, even if he doesn't really get wthe effect his policies are having on the country. GO ris just staggeringly thick-skinned and dim. I wonder how much more the population of britain will take before we say enough is enough, or are we really prepared to sit back and watch this pair of medieval throwbacks lording it over the rest of us, safe in the knowledge that they're all right jack?

I think he doesn't give a shit that we know he doesn't give a shit

[baffled self]

re: medieval throwbacks

I nearly hid this thread just after it started, what with all the "oh, get over yourselves, why shouldn't he, I enjoy a day off meself" nonsense

we seem to have recovered our forelock tugging ways in this country- we seem to see it as a return to the Natural Order, somehow, that we should be told to tighten our belts by born-to-rule knobs who have absolutely no intention of doing the same

I completely agree with the last two posts. There are two types of people - those who can emapathise with others living in a different situation from themselves and those who either cannot or won't. A lot of people I know who always vote tory are exactly like this. They see people as being on different levels and they view themselves as being worthy of a life that they think others are not. They don't understand that some people are not born with the same opportunities as others and they think if you're poor or disadvantaged it's your own fault. And anyway it doesn't matter, because you're pond life compared with them. The attitude makes me mad, there are unfortunately people in my family who are like it.

yup, electra

agree totally

and I find that the "I/my father/grandfather worked hard " line is trotted out regularly. Yeah, sure. Like no-one else did/does

Let's not kid ourselves, either. Do these guys want to improve the country? It all looks like a big game to me: 'I say old chaps, how many of our mates can we get on board?... Let's make the country better for our type of people and bugger the rest of them they can bloody well get on with it. If they didn't benefit scrounge and waste their money on booze and fags they could have gone to Eton and have trusts funds too. They've brought it all on themselves so what we need to do is be really strict and teach them that they can't have things handed to them on a plate. blah blah...' and of course that irony would be lost on them totally.

Perhaps what is needed is an overhaul of how politicians are selected. New candidates should be made to do a year's work experience first which would consist of 6 months on minimum wage in a barely furnished, damp house. After that, they would then lose their job and have to apply for benefits and live on those for a further six months, to see how hard it is to keep going in those circumstances. No outside support, no taking in cash, and any politician found 'cheating' would be barred from running for office.

Have started a new thread to discuss Child benefit. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/politics/1249660-Perfect-illustration-of-the-lack-of-sense-in-the-Coalition-Government

YABU. The less Ministers do, the less harm they do.

Yes, gideon in the royal box whilst the economy flatlines and the public sector plans to strike.

Nero. Fiddle. Rome.

Wonder whether there were any hookers or coke though?! He's a hideous little chap.