Entente Formidable !! AND I DIDN'T GET LOST !!

Brown seeks 'Entente Formidable'

The Browns welcome the French president and wife to Number 10

Gordon Brown has announced a series of measures to deepen and strengthen Britain's ties with France saying he wanted an "Entente Formidable".

The two countries will hold regular bilateral summits - and will vote together for reform of international institutions.

They will also step up coopoeration on immigration, defence and the economy.

Mr Brown has held talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy at Arsenal's football stadium in London.

The prime minister said the two leaders would be pressing for a "co-ordinated approach" in the international financial community to encourage transparency and stop "off balance sheet behaviour".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7315649.stm

I DID NOT GET LOST !!!!!

Brown 'got lost' at state banquet

Queen's comments

Downing Street has insisted Gordon Brown was just "doing what he was told" after apparently getting lost at the state banquet for Nicolas Sarkozy.

The prime minister and French President were among 150 guests at the banquet in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle.

In television footage, the Queen can be heard saying to Princess Anne: "The prime minister got lost. He disappeared the wrong way...at the crucial moment."

No 10 said the PM "does what he's told on these state occasions".

President Sarkozy sat between the Queen and the Duchess of Cornwall, while his wife Carla sat on the other side of the table.

Mr Brown was due to sit opposite as well, but, judging by the Queen's comments picked up by television microphones, must have taken his seat late.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7316401.stm

Seems very parsimonious to me !!!

In full: MPs' 'John Lewis list'

Here is Parliament's Additional Costs Claims Guide - known as the "John Lewis List" - in full. It is used by House of Commons officials to determine whether an expenditure claim submitted by an MP is reasonable. MPs can claim items up to £23,000 per year.

Air conditioning unit - £299.99

Bed - £1,000.00

Bedside cabinet - £100.00

Bookcase/shelf - £200.00

Bookcase/cabinet - £500.00

Carpet - £35.00 per square metre

Carpet fitting - £6.50 per square metre

Coffee maker/machine - £100.00

Coffee table - £250.00

Dining armchairs (each) - £150.00

Dining chairs (each) - £90.00

Dining table - £600.00

Dishwasher - £375.00

Drawer chest (five) - £500.00

Dressing table - £500.00

Dry cleaning - both personal and household [items] are allowable within reasonable limits

Food mixer - £200.00

Freestanding mirror - £300.00

Fridge/freezer combi - £550.00

Gas cooker - £650.00

Hi-fi/stereo - £750.00

Installation of new bathroom - £6,335.00

Installation of new kitchen - £10,000.00

Lamp table - £200.00

Nest of tables - £200.00

Recordable DVD - £270.00

Rugs (each) - £300.00

Shredder - £50.00

Sideboard - £795.00

Suite of furniture - £2,000.00

Television set - £750.00

Tumble dryer - £250.00

Underlay (basic) - £6.99 per square metre

Wardrobe - £700.00

Washer dryer - £500.00

Washing machine - £350.00

Wooden flooring/carpets - £35.00 per square metre

Workstation - £150.00

Personal items not allowed - for example: hairdryers or hairstylers, shavers, toothbrushes, toiletries and bathrobes.

Any form of payment protection or illness cover is not claimable from ACA in relation to mortgage payments.

In order for a member to claim the mortgage interest against his ACA home, his/her name must appear on the mortgage.

Garden furniture such as patio sets, loungers and barbecues are not allowed.

Basic garden maintenance is allowed, but plants, shrubs, flowers, hanging baskets or other decorations etc are not.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7295150.stm

And this man ruled our country , !!! Why ??

Blair to teach in the US on faith

Tony Blair will take part in a number of events around the Yale campus

Tony Blair is to teach students at Yale University in the US when he leads a seminar on faith and globalisation.

The former prime minister has been appointed as a fellow at Yale and will begin teaching next year.

The prestigious Connecticut university said the work was related to Mr Blair's Faith Foundation which will be launched later this year.

Mr Blair's other appointments have included as a Middle East envoy and an adviser to investment bank JP Morgan.

'Religious values'

Mr Blair has also left the Anglican Church to become a Roman Catholic since leaving office.

A statement said: "Yale University is pleased to announce the appointment of [former] Prime Minister Tony Blair as the Howland Distinguished Fellow for the next academic year.

Mr Blair has demonstrated outstanding leadership in these areas and is especially qualified to bring his perspective to bear Richard C Levin Yale president

"Mr Blair will lead a seminar at Yale and participate in a number of events around the campus."

Details of the course are being discussed with Yale's School of Management and Divinity.

Yale president Richard C Levin said Mr Blair's appointment was a "tremendous opportunity" for the university.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7284494.stm

Cable ? Now where have I heard that name ?

Pub chain fails to see Cable joke

Vince Cable turned his comedy fire on Gordon Brown

Vince Cable's one-liners may have gone down a storm with Lib Dem delegates but pub chain Wetherspoons is not laughing.

It is angry about a passage in the Lib Dem treasury spokesman's speech to the party's spring conference in Liverpool.

Mr Cable said High Street banks "had become the financial equivalent of a Wetherspoons pub - but with even less of a sense of social responsibility".

The pub firm said this was "ridiculous" adding: "Perhaps he has been barred from a Wetherspoons pub."

Mr Cable was using the pub chain to illustrate a point about the alleged reckless lending policy of some banks.

"Just as binge drinking has become one of Britain's main recreational activities, binge lending has now become a mainstay of the economy," Mr Cable told delegates.

Funny

But Wetherspoons, which is one of the UK's biggest pub chains, insisted it took its social responsibilities seriously.

"As far we are concerned his statement is absolutely ridiculous. Wetherspoons is a good example of responsible pub operator.

"It has won more plaudits from local councils and police authorities for the manner in which it runs its pubs than probably any other pub chain in the UK.

"I don't know why he picked on us. Perhaps he has been barred from a Wetherspoons pub."

Mr Cable has developed a reputation for funny speeches and put-downs in recent months.

He reduced MPs to hysterics when he said Gordon Brown had "gone from Stalin to Mr Bean", when he was standing in as Lib Dem leader following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell.

And his speech to the Lib Dem Spring Conference in Liverpool was filled with more one-liners.

'Bully to bumbler'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7285053.stm

Quite right Margaret , I always feel uncomfortable at the last night , we should have " Scotland the Brave "" instead

Proms not inclusive, says Hodge

Flag waving is now the norm on the traditional Last Night

The Proms attract too narrow a section of society, culture minister Margaret Hodge has suggested in a speech.

She praised "icons of a common culture" from Coronation Street to the Angel of the North and said culture could "enhance a sense of shared identity".

But the Proms was one of several major cultural events many people did not feel comfortable attending, she said.

Tory leader David Cameron said she did not "get it" and said the Proms were a "great symbol of our Britishness".

He also stressed the numbers of other Proms during the concert season - such as Proms in the Park and the Electric Proms.

'Feel at ease'

In a speech to the IPPR think tank on Britishness, Heritage and the Arts, Mrs Hodge said a "shared sense of common cultural identity" was a key part of social integration and cohesion.

She said she wanted to "challenge our sectors square on".

"The audiences for some of many of our greatest cultural events - I'm thinking particularly of the Proms - is still a long way from demonstrating that people from different backgrounds feel at ease in being part of this," she added.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/7276684.stm