A true socialist

[Quakered]

A nice bit in the Telegraph today about Lord Turner who is both head of the FSA and Climate Change advisor to the Governement. While he thinks air travel should be rationed for the lower orders this concern for the climate does not extend to him as it appears he has spent well over £40k of the taxpayers’ money on international air travel in his job with the FSA over the last year. While the FSA does have an entirely commendable policy that all staff should travel in the back of the ‘plane with the self-loading cargo, this does not apply to him as he will only travel first or if really slumming it, Business Class. However to show his true eco credentials, he does drive a Toyota Pious (or more likely, his driver does….)

[2807]

Indeed, what about Sir David Attenborough OM CH CVO CBE FRS, who continues to jet around the world, seemingly non stop, whilst lecturing the mere mortals, who pay his BBC salary with the TV tax, on the damage they are doing to the planet, with their once a year chartered trip to the sunsine.

2807

who hasn't been in an aeroplane for 5 years & doubt's that he is ever likely to again.

[Quakered]

Well we are off to the sunshine in November in the big tin bird and I can't wait!

[SteveH]

 Ohh dear....

Lord Turner's unstinting criticism of the regulatory system shouldn't have surprised too many. After all, he was never going to blame the bankers, having been one of them himself until not too long ago. - quoted from Private Eye, No. 1231- 6–19 March 2009.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adair_Turner,_Baron_Turner_of_Ecchinswell

 Now there's a surprise....

[Richard Owen]

One of the few self-made upwardly mobile people in the UK today.

[noah]

One of the few self-made upwardly mobile people in the UK today.

A pithy reply is called for but after a 12 hour day fixing my millpond I just don`t have the oomph.
A man that does all the `right` things-born to middle class comfort, be a swot, join the right clubs and climb the greasy pole is not my idea of self made. The society was there ready for him and his ilk to jump in.
The man obviously has no shame but he`s not alone in that.

[Richard Owen]

...................................... is not my idea of self made.

Nobody else made him. He did it all himself.

[bar]

ummmm............

it is increasingly evident that our "concerned" political and lordly masters (often referred to as the great and the good) are detached from the people they serve and consider their role of such importance that they do not have to abide by the decisions they impose on the masses.

Two instances spring to mind of true socialists

1. Clement Attlee when canvassing for the labour party was advised his own car (dont know the make; but modest) was not creating the right impression and he should for something more stately. He refused.

2. when Gandhi visited the UK he had very little in the way of personal material items. He did have a rather cheap watch which was stolen. Mountbatten found him rather sullen and Gandhi told him of his disappointment at such an act. Mountbatten offered to buy a replacement and presented him with a fine time piece which he refused in favour of cheaper model- like the one he "lost".

Career politicos and "well-meaning oligarchs" should be avoided.

[desperate]

I guess it depends whether you consider the impact of the message is greater and worth the travel costs, when the presenter reports from the location in question or not. A film crew travelling to remote locations is going to have an infinitesimal affect on the carbon emmisions worldwide, but IF they manage to slightly change attitudes to, lets say buying rhino horn trinkets, it could have a large effect.

I suspect many folk use it to assuage their own guilt.

Desp

[Quakered]

The issue here is that this fellow works for a public organisation that, very reasonably, dictates that if staff need to fly on business then they must travel in the back of the plane with the peasants taking their chickens and goats to Market. He however thinks he should get special treatment and travel business on short haul and FIRST for intercontinental. Worse the self obsessed egotist is a climate change advisor to the government.


The word is hypocrisy!


Oh his bill for air travel exceeded £60k in the last year - sorry ot understate the level of hypocrisy.........

[desperate]

Well I'm not availed of all his travel details, but if I were going to get all steamed up at hypocrisy it would be at all those offshore tax havens and bank accounts, that makes 60 grand look like real small beer, you're talking hundreds of billions there.

PS, Or of course who paid for all Mr Werritys travel and dinners, who the hell is he anyway??

You could call that hypocrisy, or perhaps "fraud"?

Desp

[wookey]

Not defending Lord whotsit being too good for cattle-class, but the issue of travel for work is problematic. I try not fly gratuitously, but my work requires a certain amount of travel, some of it intercontinental, because the company is entirely virtual and we do need to get together from time to time - that's currently twice/yr, alternating US/Europe. I can usually avoid the European flying and go by train (but it can be hard work) but there is no acceptably-practical alternative to flying to the US (would going by liner even use less energy?)

Until companies decide that conferences and technical meetings are not worth doing (and they generally _are_ very worth doing, with some exceptions) one is pretty-much forced to do some flying. For some jobs, which involve meetings all over the place, or giving talks, or looking for obscure animals in jungles, that's can be a _lot_ of flying. There is plenty of room for minimisation of travel but you have to do it at the organisational level - it's not really the individual's fault. I'd like to see budgets and limits imposed to make organisations think a lot harder about which things were actually worthwhile, and which gratuitous.

[brackwell]

This kind of travel is part of their employment package and they would not work for whoever if they had to travel cattle class.  When they are earning "loads of money" its not the money persay anymore but the status.  Same as the "managing directors " car parking space.   If its the air travel you object to start with the pi... ups in Praque.

Ken