The government has ruled out shutting down its wine cellar to cut costs. – since the general election about £45,000 has been spent on new wine.

And?

ooh, how nice, where do we pick up our complimentary bottle?

Bet it’s nice plonk too…

It just shows the hypocrisy

It just shows the hypocrisy

You sound surprised, do you really expect that people who believe that they have a right to make decisions about other peoples lives would not have an inflated sense of entitlement to go with it?

I make my best decisions with a glass of good wine in my hand.

Usually it’s to have another glass.

The cellar – containing about £2m worth of wine and spirits – is the most “cost effective” way to supply wine for state banquets and other events, it says.

Rubbish. They can drink Asda cola like the rest of us, eh? That would really work at state banquets.

But the purchase of wines will become “self-financing” – paid for by selling off some of the most expensive bottles.

Maybe we should stop that so rich folk can’t enjoy spending their money? Hmmm, oh hang on it’s getting even better:

The review concluded that keeping the wine cellar was the cheapest way to supply wine for hospitality events, but that “substantial reform” was needed.

Sometimes it’s worth reading past the headlines eh?

You sound surprised, do you really expect that people who believe that they have a right to make decisions about other peoples lives would not have an inflated sense of entitlement to go with it?

I would say that people with an inflated sense of entitlement think they should control other people’s lives.

Sometimes it’s worth reading past the headlines eh?

Exactly

But the purchase of wines will become “self-financing” – paid for by selling off some of the most expensive bottles.

On that same logic surely the government should start dealing cocaine? I bet they could get some dynamite stuff from the Peruvian Embassy. Their mates in the media would pay top dollar for it. There’d be some quality marching powder on the street, the coffers would be stuffed. Its a win/win 😀

I’ve had bags of coffee beans from the Colombian embassy; the top-grade stuff they serve out at official embassy do’s. Proper proper spensive I understand, but lost on me as I’m a PG Tips Philistine… 🙂

On that same logic surely the government should start dealing cocaine?

Big argument for legalising drugs. Imagine the revenue! It’d be a new golden age!

Elfin, I’ll take a couple of those bags next time you’re ” meeting” the columbian’s 😉

It does show hypocrisy yes…

The cost has been criticised by MPs from different parties

You know they didn’t care when/if they had access to free booze.

I dislike some politicians as they can only critise…which is why I’ll never vote for Ken Livingston…the guy spends far too much energy whinging about Boris.

Sadly my embassy contact took herself and her exquisite bottom back to Colombia, but hey ho. 🙁

Had a French flatmate what worked for the French embassy; we’d get stupidly cheap duty free stuff from time to time, really spensive bottles of wine for a fiver, stuff like that.

All sorts of perks working in government departments, embassies and that.

I think having a wine cellar for MPs is taking the piss though really. I mean, how much of it is British produce? Not much I’d imagine.

Racist. Why can’t they drink lovely British beer instead?

what about Prescription and University charges ?

But as the animals look from Napoleon to Pilkington, from man to pig and from pig back to man, they find that they are unable to tell the difference.

c’est le vie

I think having a wine cellar for MPs is taking the piss though really

Hang on – that’s not quite what it says, is it?

It’s not for MPs’ personal enjoyment, it’s for state occasions. You have to admit that the UK does need to make some kind of an effort to entertain foreign guests, don’t you?

2 million quids worth of vintage wines?

Its symbolic and hypocritical

Its symbolic and hypocritical

So.. they are changing it..

Aldi do a rather palatable South African Shiraz Pinotage for £3.99 a bottle at the moment

However, if the taxpayer were buying my wine, then vintage chateauneuf du pape would be the only thing that would pass my lips 😀

You have to admit that the UK does need to make some kind of an effort to entertain foreign guests, don’t you?

Not really no. Why can’t they just ask the guests to bring something nice from their own countries? If I go to stay with someone, or am invited to dinner at their home, I’ll often take a bottle of something with me, as a gesture to show how much I appreciate their hospitality. Why can’t these rich foreigners do the same? Bloody rude if you ask me.

Just have someone on the door (Prezza?), checking what they’ve bought with them.

What’s this? Babycham? Now pee off and don’t come back here unless you’ve got something decent you cheapskate!

Dear President X,

We would be most honoured to have your company at our forthcoming state banquet.

love

Liz II

PS please bring a bottle.

What do you mean I can’t come in? But… but… its VINTAGE White Lightning

Well, if it’s more than a few hours old in your possession, then I spose it is ‘vintage’, Binners. 🙂

S’pose its easier to decide on which country to invade next when you’ve had a few.
Nothing like a good fight on a Friday night.

TandemJeremy – Member
2 million quids worth of vintage wines?

Its symbolic and hypocritical

What credible alternative do you propose?

Why can’t they drink lovely British beer instead?

They do. Our local brewery has their beer stocked the House of Commons bar. 🙂

cynic-al – Member

What credible alternative do you propose?

TJ doesn’t do proposition, just opposition 😆

It just shows the hypocrisy

How do you know they’ve not assessed it and decided it’s the cheapest option (assuming you’re not suggesting they entertain people with bread and water?)?

What a total non-story. Again.

Are some people really struggling to see the hypocrisy …….. or are they just pretending to ?

The coalition government promised hardship for everyone……we were all in it together, and we[/b] would all have to tighten our belts.

This story proves yet again what a load of clobbers that suggestion is. In opposition Don Foster MP condemned the Commons wine cellar claiming that it was an extravaganza, now that his party is in government he is strangely quiet.

Here he is cuddling up to Tory fat cat and Mr Pickwick lookalike Eric Pickles :

Togetherness… Don Foster and Eric Pickles

And this is what Don Foster had to say :

“The government are living way beyond their means. They expect the rest of us to cut back but they still haven’t given up their taste for the high life.

“Rather than wasting public money on expensive bottles of wine, it could be used to help get Britain out of its economic problems.”

That’s before his party was in government of course. Now the “high life” has suddenly become appealing…..even though “we’re all in this together”…..apparently. And it would appear that the Commons wine cellar does offer good value for money after all. In fact they have spent another £45,000 stocking up on the £2m worth of wine and spirits

According to the article, under the previous government, there were “39,500 bottles of wine, spirits and liqueurs worth around £792,000” which I work that out at about 20 quid a bottle. Now I don’t know how it’s grown to to £2m, but I don’t suspect the Tories/LibDems have been popping down to ASDA and getting a few bottles of decent plonk for a tenner each.

Hypocrisy ? Well I can see it. If you can’t you’re either daft, a Tory, or just like winding TJ up.
Or possibly all three……..there’s a few of those about.

EDIT : And why no beer ? Good enough for the rest of us, but not good enough those who “appreciate the finer things in life”. ……come the revolution a few things are going to get sorted out – I’m tellinya

ernie_lynch – Member
Are some people really struggling to see the hypocrisy …….. or are they just pretending to ?

The coalition government promised hardship for everyone……we were all in it together, and we would all have to tighten our belts.

Seriously, do you expect them to be skimping on hospitality for cisiting heads of state?

Quite happy with your calling Tories hypocrites of course!

Lynch – what are you trying to prove? Do you think you have discovered something amazing and incredible about our government?

Are some people really struggling to see the hypocrisy …….. or are they just pretending to ?

Are you struggling to see that having a reasonable supply of wines for hospitality and normal functioning of a government is not extravagance? Why not demand they all wear government issue boiler suits and get them centrally washed in in-house laundry facilities to save a bit more?

45K is a piffling amount to spend on wine for a whole government?

I love people who take things to the extreme in STW posts, makes me chuckle but sometimes I almost think they’re being serious.

Are you struggling to see that having a reasonable supply of wines for hospitality and normal functioning of a government is not extravagance?

No. But you are struggling to see that the government spending taxpayers’ money on luxuries, whilst telling us that they have to make essential cuts in much needed public services is utterly hypocritical and downright disgusting.

But hey, who cares if vital services get cut as long as a few rich folk can get to drink fine wine, eh?

So if we all admit that it’s wrong, what then?

The government is bad. Ok, that’s that problem solved. Now what shall we do?

Get ’em all up against a wall, and issue hollowpoints to a lucky few chosen by a National Lottery scheme…

£45k might niot be much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s the principle that matters, surely? I mean, aren’t these people meant to beleading us by example, no? Big Society and all that?

‘You have to endure cuts, but we’ll not bother with that and instead just sit here sipping fine wine’.

Self-serving scum.

Are you struggling to see that having a reasonable supply of wines for hospitality and normal functioning of a government is not extravagance?

Well apparently it was a crap idea when Labour were in government, but now that the Tories and LibDems are in it’s not a bad idea after all. No hypocrisy there then.

And why the need for “£2m worth of wine and spirits” ? What sort of party are they having ?
Who’s invited ?

And why the need for expensive wine such as Chateau Latour, Chateau Lafite, Chateau Margaux and Chateau Mouton Rothschild ? What would happen if we offered them a decent Merlot from ASDA for a tenner…..would they start a war with us ?

The government is bad. Ok, that’s that problem solved. Now what shall we do?

Like… DERR!. You let me run everything. Obviously. Everything will be fine then. I promise.

I’ll probably cut down on the wine expenditure. Probably. Ok… maybe