You're all in this together

[NotAllThere]

Well I for one am glad he's supporting the Swiss economy. We've got to cope with a VAT increase as well. From 7.6% to 8%.

[hyperD]

Nice touches Osborne

At least Cameron had the sense to pull his planned New Year holiday to Thailand or wherever it was.

I think you're missing the point - these are the political elite, ergo:

(a) they are all at it

(b) newspapers from all sides of the political spectrum profit from anything they do

(c) if you are still supporting the red, blue or orange team or have a political chip on your shoulder you clearly haven't grasped it yet and are wasting valuable hours of your life and risking high blood pressure

Happy New Year my fellow CUKer!

[centurian]

The Blairs were good at getting free accommodation from their famous "friends".

In fairness to Blair (this hurts) their hosts (usually Egypt) often wouldn't accept payment. I think the arrangement was the hosts would calculate the cost of a "standard family" holiday, the blairs would pay it to the foriegn embassy, who would then immediately donate the money to a british charity.

The host government would then cover all additional costs - on the basis that it was due to his position as a visiting head of government, rather than a normal holidaymaker (i.e. helicopter from airport, bigger villa out of the way for security reasons etc.)

[centurian]

If a poor person has to contribute £1 to the deficit and a rich person has to contribute £500K, these people still say it's unfair because according to whatever formula they can dream up, the rich person is contributing less as a percentage of <whatever>

There's a fair chunk of the populace that won't think it's "fair" until they see everyone who is deemed to be "well off" being dragged from their homes, stripped of all their assets and being forced to beg on the streets.

Since you can't please these people no matter what you do - you may as well ignore them. All this parade in recent years of politicians (on all sides) taking holidays in the UK was just a facade. Better to have to honesty and say they're going to blind drunk in some foreign resort for a week.

[SueEllen]

Doesn't make any difference. A good percentage of the population is holidaying abroad.

If he's spending his own money thats fine.

Blair and Brown were keen on holidays when the bastards were wrecking the UK economy.

The Blairs were good at getting free accommodation from their famous "friends".

Least Osborne is spending his own money even if he does use the tax laws to his full advantage.

[minestrone]

There is too much news given to us now. As long as he has paid tax on his income then he can do what he wants with the rest of his cash.

[Mich the Tester]

I'm from the working classes I don't hate him.

Ah well, miss out the apostrophes and the meaning kind of changes.

[AtW]

Alf - are you from the working classes or are you just a little who hates all things Tory?

FFS, the only thing that matters from Chancellor is ability to make right decisions - sadly Tories are saddled with coalition bulltulip so they were forced to do things like CGT increase however so long as the right things are done it does not matter what Chancellor is doing on his holidays and where - so long as he pays for it.

[Green Mango]

Osborne knows the 'working classes' hate him anyway; if he went on a package tour to Torremolinos he'd be called a fake.

I'm from the working classes I don't hate him.

[Mich the Tester]

Osborne knows the 'working classes' hate him anyway; if he went on a package tour to Torremolinos he'd be called a fake.

[Green Mango]

It's not a question of whos money it is. It is a credibility issue and a question of showing some element of being in touch with the general populace.

Even the Daily Wail are having a go.

Doesn't make any difference. A good percentage of the population is holidaying abroad.

If he's spending his own money thats fine.

Blair and Brown were keen on holidays when the bastards were wrecking the UK economy.

[AtW]

It's not a question of whos money it is. It is a credibility issue and a question of showing some element of being in touch with the general populace.

His job is to put "general populace" in touch with reality - only spend money that they have, and before they can do it they need to cover black hole left by previous Govt.

So long as he did not use debt to finance his trip, and used his own money then it's all fine - living within his means is a good practice.

[Alf W]

It's not a question of whos money it is. It is a credibility issue and a question of showing some element of being in touch with the general populace.

Even the Daily Wail are having a go.

[AtW]

As long as he used his own money to pay for it then it's fine by me.

When he is back I hope he'll introduce 95%+ tax on union contributions - both to and from unions.

[Alf W]

Nice touches Osborne

At least Cameron had the sense to pull his planned New Year holiday to Thailand or wherever it was.

Smug George Osborne was going down hill fast yesterday - just like his credibility.

The shameless Chancellor jetted off on a luxury ski-ing holiday - leaving Britain to suffer the backlash of his vicious policies. He went on the piste as struggling families faced huge rises in fuel duties, rail fares and VAT.

That's not to mention benefit reductions, pay cuts, job losses and the rise in university tuition fees.

Last night furious union chiefs said the top Tory's latest jaunt made a mockery of his claim that "we're all in it together".

Millionaire Mr Osborne is staying with wife Frances and their two children at a trendy boutique hotel in the Swiss resort of Klosters.

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