Nanny's Secret Vice

Nanny has been lecturing us for sometime now about our smoking, drinking and eating habits.

Yet, it seems, that she has a little vice of her own that she has tried to keep secret; namely, an unhealthy addiction to being in the company of power players in the tobacco industry.

As already reported on this site (see "The Stain of Nicotine"), Nanny’s dalliance with the tobacco power brokers goes back some years.

Bernie Ecclestone whetted Nanny’s appetite for nicotine and tobacco, by donating £1M to Labour. Unfortunately, Nanny had to give it back; once the media found out about it.

Not content with just taking money from tobacco, Nanny is also very happy to enjoy the largesse and hospitality of the tobacco industry.

Alain Dominique Perrin, a French tycoon and leading figure in the tobacco industry, is a close friend of Blairy Poppins.

Indeed he is such a close friend, that he gave Blairy and his “cost conscious” wife a free 5 day family holiday in his 15th-century chateau in the Lot region of south-west France in 2002. Oddly enough, Blairy “forgot” to record this in the register of members’ interests.

No matter, the Tories put that to rights by drawing it to his attention.

Now it seems that there has been yet another “dalliance” with the boys in the tobacco industry.

Some 18 months ago Norman Lamb, a Liberal Democrat MP, asked for details of who has dined with Blairy at public expense at Chequers (during 2001 to April 2003).

As with any request made to Nanny, it took a “wee while” for an answer to be extracted; some 18 months in fact!

On the list of luminaries, from the world of business and entertainment, to have dined at Blairy’s court was one Mr Alain Dominique.

Now the eagle eyed amongst you will have noticed that the name is similar, but not identical, to Blairy’s chum in the tobacco industry.

Mr Lamb queried this, and guess what?

It turns out the name had been the subject of an unfortunate, and “accidental”, typographical error.

Yes, it was in fact Nanny’s dear old friend Mr Alain Dominique Perrin.

Funny that his name had been “mis-typed”!

This sorry little tale of obfuscation, largesse, delay and deceit bodes ill for the smooth and efficient working of the much heralded Freedom of Information Act.

It does, however, speak volumes about the level of hypocrisy of Nanny; and the contempt that Nanny and her friends have for open government, the British people.