While many were concentrating on the budget last week the Daily Mail's James Chapman was reporting a 50% rise in the budget for ministers' parties. Almost £140,000 was spent on an exclusive wine cellar according to a claim made by the Conservatives.
The unit set up to organise wining and dining for ministers and senior civil servants is said to have had it's budget increased by 52% from £525,000 to £800,000 for this financial year. However, a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesman claimed that actual spending has decreased. "The Government Hospitality budget is not used solely for wine, but for a range of costs around events - last year it catered for around 25,000 to 28,000 guests. That is around £30 a head for drinks (just to save you doing the sums).
Parliamentary questions have also revealed that last year, £137,460 was spent on new stock for the cellar - a rise of 26% on the previous year. They also show that an 'advisory committee on the purchase of wine', made up of senior officials, meets four times a year at a cost of £10,000 (expensive meetings especially as there's no room hire).
At any one time there are around 39,000 bottles stashed away in the official wine cellar, which is held in the vaults of Lancaster House, just off the Mall in London. Its exact contents are a closely guarded secret, although it is said to offer 180 individual clarets alone.
So, while you sip your M & S or Tesco Merlot with your Sunday lunch, remember you part- own, along with the rest of the taxpaying public, a splendid wine cellar. The problem is how do we get our hands on the key.
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14 comments:
The Scottisg government should take a lead here and ban all alchohol from all its receoptions dinners etc.
Aside fro saving money, it would also majke ts antio alcohol crudade much more credible. Rathere than lecture the neds and alchies why not lead them by example. And exotend that personally to your Tartan asrmy trips Kenny
Bit I wont hold my breath on this most obviuus of suggestions makling the light of day, Because civil servants and politicians, left right or centre, nat or unionist just loive their perks their graft and their wine tasting committes.
And over and above the graft they just love the power - deciding what wine they (our!) guests get to drink, even the ocassional personality. Nicolas, Barack etc
Why this is never challenged I can't quire work out - we the public paying for them the politicians to entertain lavishly in our name,
Friemdly but frugal, happy but teetotal - what a great brand for a modern Scottish Givernment - what a great thing for Sentors etc to be going back home and telling their colleagues and influencial freinds. An new Scottish Goverment, working towards freedom but right now focussed on getting best value public sevices, fighting the recession, and improving the health of its people. Thsse jocks, not just talking the talk, but walking the walk.
"And you know what, Nancy?... I really enjoyed that booze free reception - we should try it here"
A good idea AWC or what about a free bar at shindigs and give the profit to a worthy charity. Work someone contacting the Scottish government.
Hi I have to hold my hand up and say I've had a fair few cock n arse parties paid for by the public purse - all in the name of the FCO and forwarding the British Cringe abroad.
The fact is on one deployment when we were in Belize and I was organising the port visit, the out going Deputy Ambassador was inviting all his mates for a farwell piss up rather that inviting local dignitaries - scandalous eh?
Mind you the 6 weeks 24/7 hard graft conducting Disaster Relief Ops after Hurricane Mitch was a fair trade in my book!
So it goes on everywhere and has been for decades, we had no private wine cellar, the cocktail parties that we paid for was done on a stripe (Rank) share basis until common funding came in.
I am guilty of partaking and enjoying, bad boy - go to your bed ay SR?
Tut tut CD, nothing like that here. A few good evenings in the days when the taxpayers subsidised messing is about my limit. In fact one regimental HQ had rather a splendid cellar but its existence was to store guest gifts. I'm sure they must have told every visitor to bring a bottle!
True it does go on, but to raise the funds by 25% right now for MPs isn't particularly a popular move. Westminster just can't stop rubbing out noses in it.
Naw yer no bad laddie. I'm just pleased to know that someone we deserves it got their wee share ;)
Hi subrosa thanks for the visit to my humble but wild and crazy blog.
I really like what you have done and said here, I'll be back again soon to share a bottle of Vino with you
I wonder what daily food and wine or whisky bill The Great One subsidises from us?
Oh let's not go there OR. I remember not so long ago a paper published the menu for staff meals at No 10, all highly subsidised by us. If that was anything to go by I just couldn't cope knowing how much Brown costs us in food. Possibly it's even more than Nokias.
Dude, I visit your blog very regularly just to see you're behaving. Look forward to a decent sip of something :)
SR re your msg - not what I meant at all! o/t I see you might have swine flu up there - I hope it all comes to naught and you Scots aren't confined to barracks for the duration of the local/euro elections!
GV just on radio it said the suspected folk weren't suffering from this pandemic flu. Thank goodness because far less come through Scottish airports than English ones.
Thee was a fantastic programme on Radio 4 not too long ago detailing all the eating and drinking perks that the top officials get. I seem to recall it was called "Eating For Britian".
It detailed how all these things were done; how the top wines at hundreds of pounds a bottle were reserved for the top people (American President, Russian President, etc) and how lower and lesser countries got cheaper stuff. And of course within that, the top table with the President got one thing and people farther down got something cheaper.
Lunch as well as dinner. I always wondered how all that consumption of wine, and other drink, affected the quality of work of these people in the afternoon.
The suggestion that the Scottish government would give this up and use the money for something more worthwhile than clouding the judgement of those we pay to look after our affairs seemed a good one to me.
In fairness, I've eaten in the staff cafe at Holyrood and been in the queue with Ministers and MSPs. No alcohol there, just juice or coke, or water.
A great aunt of mine was cook at number 10 just before the war. I remember some of the books she had for organizing state dinners. Sumptuous meals for, in some cases, hundreds of guests with multiple courses - each with a different wine. Oh aye - they lived the good life.
As an aside, a wee story.
My grandmother had been widowed and, left with two young sons, she moved to London to be with her sister mentioned above,
One day the great aunt's boss - Neville Chamberlain - came back from a wee visit abroad to see his pal Adolf. When he was leaving Adolf - who was notoriously fond of sweets - gave Neville a box of chocs.
However, Neville knowing that his cook's widowed sister and wee boys were staying with her gave the chocs to her for the boys. That's how my dad got to eat Hitler's chocolates.
Well well scunnert so you're a part of middle 20th century history. I'll remember that wee tale should I ever need to write about Hitler - or your Dad of course :)
I missed that programme tris, mind you when I managed top class hotels the same thing happened. Royalty at the top table got the best and the tables further away got lesser known wines. That was usually the wine the staff had at the end of service but it was never awful as far as I recall.
I've only eaten once in the staff place in Holyrood and, because I was driving and also I never drink in the day, I had water as my tipple as usual. Food was OK but not something to shout about. That's the way it should be in a works restaurant.
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