Nanny really does have some strange ideas underneath her bonnet and petticoats. On the one hand she is urging us to eat five portions of fruit and veg a day, yet on the other hand she has warned her own staff not to eat fruit.Let me be less disingenuous...a long word for a gloomy morning!
Nanny's chums in Middlesbrough Council's legal department got rather hot and bothered the other week when they heard that Joan McTigue, a planning councillor, was given four apples and a pear on three site visits.
Nanny sprang into action and sent Ms McTigue a written warning, seemingly such largesse could have affected Ms McTigue's impartiality!
Ms McTigue was given the "gifts" during three planning committee site visits, including one where she admired a pear tree.
Needless to say, Ms McTigue thinks that this is bollocks.
Quote:
"Do they think I can be bought for one pear and four apples?"
Because of the potential for bias, Nanny told Ms McTigue that she should have left the room while the remainder of the planning committee determined the application.
In future she said that if she is offered fruit or cuttings in future, while on a site visit, she will ask the chairman of the committee to decide whether she might accept the gift.
Now, as an experienced fraud investigator and auditor, I can see where Nanny is coming from on this. However, a little common sense would surely indicate that a few apples and pears are unlikely to influence anyone.
I would also note that Nanny is being a tad hypocritical here, after all has our own "beloved" Prime Minister not just returned from holiday in a mansion lent to him by a Bee Gee?
Do not our "beloved" Prime Minister and his "frugal" wife often accept the hospitality of others?
Has not John Prescott been royally entertained by a certain US millionaire, whilst negotiating a casino deal?
Has not the Prime Minister's "frugal" wife enjoyed "free" financial advice from the ex boyfriend of one of her chums?
No one has ever questioned these people's integrity have they?
Ooops...wait a minute...they have.
Mea culpa!
"If little faults, proceeding on distemper,
ReplyDeleteShall not be wink'd at, how shall we stretch our eye
When capital crimes, chew'd, swallow'd and digested,
Appear before us?"
This is why he's no longer studied in school. Too dangerous, too dangerous . . .
Ken, you are allowing yourself to become cynical. How can you possibly impute such venal motives to Our Leader and Deputy Dawg? They are saints, as is the abstemious, nay ascetic, Cherie. An example to us all, I say.
ReplyDeleteI heard Ms McTigue on t'wireless t'other day, being interviewed about her corrupt, frugivorous ways, and she made the point that it would have been extremely rude to have refused.
Pity we don't have a few more sensible people like her on planning committees. An alien landing in England would be astounded to hear that there was any planning process at all.
Belatedly ... Happy New Year!
Political Integrety for Liarbour is a bit like Army Intelligence...
ReplyDeleteA friggin' oxymoron!
Well if it's okay for Nanny to stay at the Bee Gees house in Florida, then it should be fine for the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteThe saying is true; power corrupts