Fuloughing the housekeeper and gardener

[namechangedforthisverything]

AIBU to think that furloughing the housekeeper and gardener at your own house is wrong? It seems not legally, but morally? Just because the scheme technically allows it aren't we as civilised animals supposed to aspire to do the right thing?

It's Steve Coogan furloughing housekeeper and gardener at his £4m house. It's in the Daily Fail and the Sun and they've contacted him and he's admitted it and said he's done nothing wrong.

I suppose there will always be dreadful people in the world but I just think this is disgusting. AIBU? Or because it's technically legal, is it ok?

Why should wealthy people bear the cost themselves? I realise it would be the nice thing to do, but I don’t see why it should be expected. These people pay a huge amount in tax, more than the majority of us, why should they be expected to pay into a scheme that they can’t make use of when then time comes?

I think it's morally reprehensible. We normally have a cleaner (2 hours a week so not a live in housekeeper) - she is unable to come at the moment for her 2 hours but we're still paying her the same as she would have been. I am fortunate enough still to have a job so why wouldn't I keep paying her?

You all forgot about my personal favourite, The Daily Venom.

'Both members of staff worked full-time at the Left-wing actor's house in West Sussex – which has a swimming pool and a tennis court – before the virus struck'

Why refer to his politics (and his personal wealth) about his politics?

They got furloughed, not fired. Which means, as is/was the case for my DP, they get to make at least 80% of their salary for 3 months for sitting on the sofa eating biscuits.

Had he said 'no, you come into work every day, I don't give a flying fuck about your age, medical conditions or anything else, you get your arses in' (and housekeepers and gardeners aren't ordinarily superfit 24 year olds), then the story would have been 'Rich Leftie Luvvie FORCES elderly staff to work in his house'.

What @LellyMcKelly said, the fact he votes Labour is irrelevant. Beckham is a Tory and she did the same.

But you're not showing contempt for the Mail by calling it the Fail or the Heil (both cringey) if you link to the bloody thing!

I'm left wing and despise the Mail's politics but it does have some very good gender critical articles.

Judging by the comments on this thread, many people agree with the Daily Mail's sentiments about Steve Coogan, and are adding their own. So the paper has gone down well with Mumsnet members this morning.

I don't understand why the gardener isn't working. Ours is, and being paid by us and his other customers. Can be achieved safely, we don't come close to each other and pay him by bank transfer.

Oh, and the Daily Mail supported Hitler and Moseley, hence the Daily Heil. Hasn't changed much either. It's got nothing to do with me being ~naice~, whatever the fuck that means, and everything to do with me being Jewish.

I'm left wing and despise the Mail's politics but it does have some very good gender critical articles.

Yes, I too have noticed the link between the hard right and gender critical approaches. It's very interesting.

@LaureBerthaud the Mail isn't gender critical, it just hates trans people for being abnormal or whatever. It doesn't like gay men, lesbians or bi people much either. Why any radical feminist would agree with that shitty rag is beyond me, given how much it tears down women.

He's presumably in an income bracket where his taxes are paying for many other peoples healthcare and education. And his taxes are more likely to be repaying the COVID debt. So, any benefit is just a refund of a small part of his tax. Having said that, thinking about it, he's not actually benefiting. He isn't getting the work he would have been paying for. It's purely his staff who are benefiting, getting paid for not working.

I am against furlough entirely for everyone. We cannot afford it. You are even allowed in many cases to get a second job and double your income at tax payer expense!

The gardener and cleaner are allowed to work but perhaps he does not want them around whilst he is enjoying a lot of time at home.

Why refer to his politics (and his personal wealth) Really? He's an absolute hypocrite.

RandomLondoner

Not everyone who pays higher rate tax takes every opportunity to get something back.

It was the Sun that started this

But any excuse...

Considering they’re now allowed to go back to work they should be working, unless they are having to shield which seems unlikely given the leaked story.

However, he hasn’t done anything he isn’t allowed to and you could argue with the same logic that companies with tonnes of cash and limited impact of Covid also shouldn’t be furloughing their workers at the taxpayers expense, when loads are. A lot could probably afford to furlough far fewer workers and still survive but they’re doing it out of caution.

Why could a gardener not work? The cleaner can go back now, I'm sure the house is big enough for him to keep 2 metres from her.

I always thought he was a bit of a prat, this confirms it.

Because the Daily Mail is a horrible, racist shitrag so far removed from an actual newspaper that it isn’t considered a reliable source by information sites like Wikipedia.

And yet it seems the majority of MNetters still love to read it.

the fact he votes Labour is irrelevant.

It is relevant if he is not paying the remaining 20% of the furlough himself.

I'd like to think if I had his money I wouldn't furloughed anyone (see Timpsons who have behaved brilliantly and I will use whenever I can as a result). So he's definitely falling under the knob category.

But the papers hate Coogan (Leveson/££££££ mirror group damages) so I'm sure he predicted this coverage. I very much doubt his career will be dented in anyway.

Re: Daily Mail & women

If they send a photographer to take a pic of a woman for a story, the woman MUST wear a skirt. They won’t allow photographs of women in trousers.

But as long as they hate trans people, must be ok, eh?

I have read the stories and they are low on facts. They don’t even seem to have confirmed these people are employed by him. They use the phrase that they “work on his estate”. They could easily be employed via an agency like a lot of this type of staff.

He has a court case against the Sun.

Although a lot of people seem to know these papers print lies and disinformation, you lap it up if you want to believe it. You are their audience.

@PhilSwagielka - I didn't say the DM was GC, I said it publishes some good GC articles (which aren't transphobic imho). Unlike the woke Guardian.

He should not be furloughing staff who can continue to work. Why does lockdown affect the gardener? And presumably he still needs his house "keeping".

It could be the agency which is furloughing rather than him personally, as a pp has said.

But I think there is a lot of misuse of furlough. I don't for example think well off CIty law firms should be furlouging their PAs. It was designed for pubs, gyms, retail - industries which have to close during the lockdown, not those who are making a bit less money.

I also call the DM the Daily Heil.