Tag Archives: Talk Radio

George Osborne needs how many jobs to make ends meet?

George ‘Six Jobs’ Osborne

If George Osborne needs six jobs to survive, what hope the rest of us? Clearly, it’s not “the immigrants taking all out jobs” – it’s greedy George! The architect of UK austerity as Chancellor of the Exchequer forced government cuts of 20% or more per department, but he can’t make do on less than a million a year himself. 

George 6-jobs Osborne will now be representing his constituency for £75k, public speaking for probably £80k an hour, earning £650k for a day a week at financial firm Blackrock, editing the Evening Standard 4 days a week for £200k. From someone who managed austerity for the rest of us, clearly, he is struggling to manage.

Yet, he doesn’t need any of the jobs, with an estimated personal fortune of over £4.3 million, as beneficiary of a trust fund with a 15% stake in Osborne & Little, the wallpaper-and-fabrics company co-founded by his father, Sir Peter Osborne.

In George Osborne, “We’re all in this together” is the most hollow hypocritical statement from a Tory yet.

Public Speaking Profile

According to the Washington Speakers Bureau George is:

“A principled leader who… offers a unique perspective on fiscal and monetary policy… George Osborne cut government spending, cut business taxes and reduced regulation…  As a member of Parliament, he has championed the social change and progress that has led to a period of strong economic growth in Britain.”

“Unique”, indeed, with such poor Parliamentary regulation that he is able to take in an MP’s salary whilst moonlighting on 5 other jobs. “Social change”, my arse, upwardly mobile earnings for the already at the top of the tree 1%. “Principled”?

Criticism, Petition & Investigation

Osborne has come under well-deserved fire for allegedly breaking the post-ministerial employment rules of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) for accepting the position of Editor of the Evening Standard, not to mention the other jobs. 

A petition is fast approaching 200,000 signatures calling for him to “pick a job”.

Conflict of Interest

Westminster is an expensive game and in the past only the wealthy could afford to be MPs. If MPs held jobs perhaps 1 day a week that kept them in touch with the real world, that would be one thing, or as Green Party suggested MP job shares. Holding multiple jobs, however, several of which in finance or the media would whiff of undue influence and conflicts of interest, there is absolutely no justification.

How can he now speak on matters of press regulation in Parliament?

More importantly, what do the public think of this? I was on a TalkRADIO phone in discussion and 85% of responders said that they thought he shouldn’t have a second job let alone a sixth job!

Millionaire jobs George

Whilst the hours and days he is set to offer his various employers would leave little time for even Thatcher’s 4 hours a night sleep, it’s the salaries that do add up. Over a £1 million a year across the jobs quite apart from his substantial private money, trusts and investments income.

“We’re all in this together”

George Osborne used this phrase in 2009 and 2012 saying that austerity would require sacrifices from everyone, speaking of values and intent. He actually said, repeatedly, that the better-off must take their share of the pain. Where are George’s pain and sacrifice, where are his values? What value for money does he offer his constituents and taxpayers? Time to go, again, George Osborne. “You’re fired”.

Political Dystopia as UK living in Groundhog Day & Back to the Future era

UK Political Groundhog Day

Can you believe it? Nigel Farage is back in charge of UKIP, again – for the fourth time. We also have Maggie ‘Theresa May‘ Thatcher redivivus in charge of the Conservative Party (MT/TM same initials!). Jeremy Corbyn is also the second leader Labour has had in a year. OK, so the previous one was also Jeremy Corbyn! I feel like I’m living in political Groundhog Day.

Theresa May Margaret Thatcher Number 10 Composite
Theresa May Margaret Thatcher Number 10 Composite

UKIP’s fourth-time-around leader

UKIP saving the Pound
UKIP saving the Pound, one cent devaluation at a time!

Admittedly, or allegedly, only a temporary reversion, but after Diane James’ 18-day stint as leader, Nigel Farage has returned to the helm of UKIP.

“UKIP without a leader is more electable than Labour with one” – Nigel Farage

Neil Hamilton as an alternative UKIP leader, currently leader in the Welsh Assembly, would be a “horror story” say Farage and Hamilton in a comical show of unplanned unity.

Financial Markets and Economic Prospects

GBP v USD 2016 post-Referendum Exchange Rate
GBP v USD 2016 post-Referendum Exchange Rate

And whilst the FTSE-100 reaches new heights for the multinational wealthy with shares and global reach, the Pound is crashing towards Sterling parity with the Dollar ($1.27) and ignominy with the Euro (€1.13).

Back to the Future over the EU

John Major launched his fatal Back to Basics political message and policies in 1993, but Theresa May’s message feels more like back to the 80s or even the 70s – before 1973 when we joined the EU. Now we are leaving it. When we joined, Britain was keen to avoid creating a rift between pro and anti-Europeans:

“Above all we should avoid creating a new, semi-permanent rift in British society, between pro and anti Europeans.” – The Guardian, 1 Jan 1973

Post-Referendum and with Brexit’s Article 50 due to initiate by March 2017, we have created exactly that with a very divided and divisive 48% Remainers and 52% Leavers society.

Currency falling backwards and downwards

DeLorean Back to the Future DMC Car
DeLorean Back to the Future DMC-12 Car

The Pound has only been this low once before in 60 years, back in 1985, when Back to the Future was released and the already defunct DeLorean (1983) was ironically the posited future of flying cars and time machines. In fact, without any irony at all, DeLorean or rather the new DMC is making fresh models of the DMC-12 car this year!

Recreating the Past rather than a Future

We seem to be recreating the past, rather than an inclusive or “brighter future” for all of Theresa May’s talk about injustice and inequality – because it’s selective inequality she’ll help, and selective education she’ll promote. And if, we can’t trust Nigel Farage to actually resign, Boris Johnson to keep on message for longer than 4 days (Theresa May’s joke at the Tory Party Conference, 5 October 2016), how can we trust that “Brexit means Brexit” or hope that it doesn’t. We seem to be living in the past, having chosen to withdraw from European cooperation and community, back to tariffs and protectionism, back to a low Pound, xenophobic racism and divisions, and peddling failed political slogans that could have been ripped from 1970s/80s politics and posters – indeed during the Leave EU campaign some were. Theresa May, in her speech, ridiculed ‘citizens of the world’, as many Remainers describe themselves, as citizens of nowhere, even if it was in the context of criticising global corporations:

“If you believe you are a citizen of the world, you are a citizen of nowhere. You don’t understand what the very word ‘citizenship’ means.” – Theresa May, Conservative Party Conference 2016 (speech in full)

This reminds me of George Orwell’s dystopian idea of citizenship in 1984! As for me, I’m a #proudcitizenoftheworld:

As was discussed today on TalkRADIO, for which I was interviewed, we are in dangerous territory here, using jingoistic language to appease the right whilst seemingly stealing centreground policies, but only for the few who are hard-working British citizens, not the “low skilled immigrants”. Immigrant wealth-creators are welcome but not “wealth consumers“, said Liam Fox at a fringe event. So that’s no more asylum seekers or refugees then?

Theresa May also turned the tables, saying that now Labour is the “supporting voices of hate…the nasty party”. Yet her language is more reminiscent of UKIP’s xenophobia than any kind of utopian equality. Even The Times said of her speech that “The Tory conference was largely immigration policy by Ukip.” It’s a scary future not a bright future we are being presented with.