Looks like Prince Andrew assumes so
[url= http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/30/prince-andrew-concern-trade-missions ]he's up to his old tricks again[/url]
After being told to stop knocking around with peado's and nobbing hookers, while saying he's a UK Trade Envoy, it looks like its back to business as usual - Wofting around the globe while we pickup his tab
[i]A previous charter flight from Farnborough to Jeddah and back on a trade mission to Saudi Arabia was billed to the taxpayer at £28,767.[/i]
So... can he basically do what the bloody hell he likes really? And send us the bill? Certainly seems that way.
Just asking that question, Binners, makes you an oik. 😉
He's a PRINCE.
I'd be chopping off heads and weeing in loads of shoes, then doing various grubby things with cooks, maids, seamstresses, before eating chicken and throwing the bones over my shoulder.
bad taste content
have Binners taken to the tower at once!
can he basically do what the bloody hell he likes really? And send us the bill?
It's worse than that - the government have asked him to do all this stuff.
Surely any rich people can do whatever they like?
Haven't you worked it out yet? To quote Tracy Jordan, "If you have enough money you can do whatever you like". The word "Privilege" is derived from "private law" and "Aristocracy" from "rule by the best" 🙂
Can members of the royal family do pretty much anything they feel like?
wot, like have your daughter in law killed in a car crash???
[i]the government have asked him to do all this stuff[/i]
I'm not convinced, and I think that's the problem. I can't believe some of the stuff would have been cleared by the Foreign Office and instead he's doing it off his own bat.
I'm all for using the royals as ambassadors/figureheads, after all, a lot of international political/business relations is about schmoozing, and having a senior royal as your schmoozer in chief is possibly no bad thing. But someone needs to reign him in a bit, he seems to think that he can act on behalf of the UK without checking whether the UK, or at least it's elected representatives, want him to.
I can't believe some of the stuff would have been cleared by the Foreign Office and instead he's doing it off his own bat.
That's exactly what i was thinking IHN. You read what he's been upto, and with whom, and think "the government can't possibly have approved that?!"
Seems like he's making imaginary titles up, saying he's 'representing' the UK government, swanning off doing whatever takes his fancy, then sending us the (enormous) bill
Seems like he's making imaginary titles up, saying he's 'representing' the UK government, swanning off doing whatever takes his fancy, then sending us the (enormous) bill
Eh? Did you even rtfa that you linked to? 😆
he has retained high level access inside the coalition government and, in the past two months, has held private meetings with the foreign secretary, William Hague, the chancellor, George Osborne, and the international development secretary, Andrew Mitchell, as well as with Sir Jeremy Heywood, the new cabinet secretary, according to the court circular. He travelled with the trade minister Lord Green on an official trade mission to Saudi Arabia in September and they undertook several joint engagements, meeting Saudi leaders and businessmen.One Whitehall official suggested Andrew's continued role reflected the British government's need for his influence in autocratic countries where leaders are not satisfied with contact with a changing roster of ministers.
"It is absolutely true that the duke has access at the highest levels which he uses to assist trade objectives and UK companies," said a spokesman for UKTI.
"He is particularly valuable in some parts of the world where continuity is valued over continually changing personnel."
[i]Seems like he's making imaginary titles up, saying he's 'representing' the UK government, swanning off doing whatever takes his fancy, then sending us the (enormous) bill [/i]
Be fair though, wouldn't you if you could?
From now on I shall be UK High Fakir on Pineapple and Cheshire Cheese on Sticks and will work to promote the bonds between UK-based Cheshire Cheese makers and pineapple growers in places like Hawaii. It may involve significant travel to places like Hawaii, but I shall send the bills straight to CallMeDave.
I would expect there would be a fair bit of arms trade involved. Royal to deal with royals etc.
So the govt wouldn't want that too public.
I would expect there would be a fair bit of arms trade involved. Royal to deal with royals etc.So the govt wouldn't want that too public.
Weirdly, US, French and Russian corporations don't find it too difficult to sell arms to autocracies, despite their home countries not having royal families.
Being opaque about weapons trading is why BAe recently paid a £300m fine for failing to declare bribes paid in Saudi and other arms deals and why the UK has a billion pound subsidy junkie arms industry. If the purpose of the visit was to improve UK public finances and balance of trade, he should have stayed at home.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/feb/05/bae-systems-arms-deal-corruption
http://www.caat.org.uk/issues/jobs-subsidies.php