Our former PM and his £25,000 shepherd hut in the age of austerity

[Puggsville]

He had the salmon faced cheek to introduce the Bedroom Tax and disability cuts. Then he wimps out of office and splashes out £25,000 (minus any discount he might have received for publicising it in the papers) for a shepherd's hut in which he can churn out his memoirs about how he imposed austerity on the rest of us.

Surely he has a spare room in his Chipping Norton mansion in which he could plonk away on his laptop.

splat
He whistled away the nation's integrity by one referendum. The economy is facing an unprecedented danger. That's why people are so "jealous" of him spending his money because he spent "our" money on useless shit andjas made us permanently poor for a very long time even if Brexit doesn't happen.

So it is not something as mundane as jealousy. More complicated and deep than that.

He offered a referendum and let the people have their say. I wanted to remain and voted for it but I don't blame him. I blame the majority who voted to leave.

He promised a referendum if voted in in the GE and then did so. I like that. I understand that the left like to be nannied and believe that we need to be told what to do but I don't. I like living in a country where people can decide upon and work towards their own future and the will of the people is listened too. He was also in power during the Scottish Indy Referendum. Another example of people having control of their own future.

He isn't some African despot who emptied the country's coffers and is now living the high life on the proceeds. He is wealthy. His government began to sort out the financial mess handed over to them (and did a much better job than other governments in similar positions like the French and Germans).

A rich man (whose politics you may disagree with) bought an expensive shed. How can it be more complicated than jealousy?

Wow, never realized there was this much hatred for Cameron.

After reading this I half expect to see him hanging from a lamppost

I've got less of a problem with Blair's wealth, seeing as he and Cherie actually worked for theirs and weren't born into enormous wealth like Cameron and his wife.

Otoh, Blair (and his money-grabbing wife) has treated being PM as a business opportunity and was just a Tory wearing a red tie. He fooled the country into thinking they were getting a Labour government, when it was just Tory-lite.

At least we all expected Cambo to be a Tory bastard, he wasn't hiding it. And I don't really care what he does with his own money, although having it splashed all over the papers is a little vulgar.

I'd bloody love a shepherd's hut and a garden big enough to put it in.

But the 50%+ of the electorate who voted leave

37% of the electorate.

26% of the population.

'Tis the will of the people innit.

thefalloutwillbeawfu

If some people are too stupid or lazy to vote then what should we do? Assume that they voted for the status quo or simply listen to those who did have the gumption?

I'm a remained myself but come on he's not responsible for brexit. Look around you, 52% of people around you voted for this shit. Those are whom you should blame.

And it's his money, he can spend it how he likes it whether you like him or not.

If some people are too stupid or lazy to vote then what should we do? Assume that they voted for the status quo or simply listen to those who did have the gumption?

I don't know, but not call it the will of the people basically. The vote was almost split down the middle but not once have the "hard" Brexit Rees-Mogg types - eager to de-regulate our economy and society for their own benefit - taken that on board. I still hope that their chickens come home to roost.

Marina Hyde is very good on this in the Guardian

Why are so many people on here intent on so spectacularly missing the point of the thread? Are they stupid or doing it deliberately? Of course he can spend his/ Sam's money on what he likes, but can people really not see the sickening irony of him posing smugly in that thing when his government brought in so many policies that harmed the poor and vulnerable so much? Really? Is that beyond people?

And of course he is responsible for Brexit. He made his party's problems all our problems and held a ref when there was no need to, and was so lazy/stupid/arrogant/a combination of the three, that his campaign was so shit he lost - causing years of financial misery to others once again, but he will be shielded from it. He should be held to account.

I find it telling that, while most PMs age horribly in the job, he has ended up fatter, smugger and shinier than ever. He really doesn't give a toss, as confirmed by that sign they apparently have.

As for all the predictable comments about the Blairs - why are people incensed by them making money, but these highly unimpressive people enjoying inherited wealth they would never have been able to get on merit in a million years is fine? Snobbery and, in the case of Cherie, deeply unpleasant misogyny.

sooty chic Lazy arse get up and give it a wipe!

Dont see the problem. If i had the money and the land (looks at countyard garden) id love one. He has both so whats the problem. (Rushes off to buy lottery ticket)

@topcat2014

Burford Garden centre is fab

Love the toy shop!

LaurieFairyCake actually Corbyn bought his house for £363k in 2007. Currently worth £925k. The joys of Rightmove Sold prices!

He's a complete champagne socialist, do as I say not as I do.

Blair is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of service personnel in unnecessary wars because he wanted to cosy up to Bush. That makes him a war criminal in my book.

Cameron gave people the chance to choose, they chose. That's democracy in action. Whether we like the outcome or not. I'm a remainer btw and I don't like it but I'd rather live in a democracy than a nanny state where we are told what is best for us.

Tophat...my inlaws live near burford. Its on my list of places to visit. Dd was bought amazing toy for her birthday from the toyshop

he isn't some African despot.... no splatcontroller he's a European one

TheJunctionBaby

No he isn't. Do you know what a despot is? I'll give you a clue; they don't hold referendums.

So he's a shit. And it's his business and the other shit that he's married to spent their money.

"he is not responsible for brexit alone* he is actually, setting up an advisory referendum with a simple majority for such a massive change. treating the result immediately as a strong vote for exit when it was no such thing (on the spectrum of 100% voting out to 100% voting in - 52% is a vote to be a little bit out)

The whole shape of the exit could have been framed in the first few days after the vote - not planning and resigning so quickly is precisely what led to the current farce. We now have our MPs on summer break as if there was all the time in the world.

I'm honest enough to admit that I resent him.
He has had an incredibly privileged life (did we ever get to the bottom of his father's offshore tax arrangements?) and he married the daughter of a aristocratic landowner. Then, out of ego rather than duty, he entered office and made decisions which affected millions of less well off people, to their detriment.

Actually SplatController despots do fold elections and referendums - they just forbid the opposition to run candidates - or threaten that places which vote wrong will get no food as Mugabe did - or ban the secret ballot - or just rig the count.

When Blunkett was leader of Sheffield Council he argued that wards which voted Conservative should bear the brunt of any cuts they had to make. And in 1074 one of the miners' leaders said that postal staff should not carry Conservative election leaflets or postal votes!

Thank you puggs

So spending his money makes him bad? Most of MN buys non essentials such as designer bags, holidays etc. Are they all bad too?

At least he's supporting the economy not taking from it like so many do nowadays.