Come To Britain And Travel In Style.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3271045/Pictured-50-000-luxury-stretch-Hummer-used-ferry-asylum-seekers-London-Manchester-village-complained-deluged.html

Why the need to transport seven young African males, at a cost of £3,000, all the way from London to Manchester, in such luxurious transport?

[Gromit]

If true, a ridiculous waste of money.
The Conservatives like wasting your money while talking about making surpluses. No wonder Osborne has doubled the national debt.

[anotheoldgit]

Gromit

And Labour are so renowned for saving money are they?

[TWR]

Don't start, do you not think they deserve it? after all, we the Brit's have enough money.

[andy-hughes]

Is their ethnicity relevant?

Surely a waste of money is just a waste of money - does it inflame Mail readers further because the men in question are asylum seekers, and from Africa?

[Sqad]

A-H

\\\\ does it inflame Mail readers further because the men in question are asylum seekers, and from Africa?\\\

Yes, I'm afraid it does, as when minority groups are seen to be indulged over the indigenous population....yes it does.
It is known as ..."human nature."

[sandyRoe]

Could the key word in that story be 'reportedly'? Did it actually happen?

[Gromit]

AOG,
Brown delivered 4 surplus budgets as chancellor.

[andy-hughes]

Sqad - //\\\ does it inflame Mail readers further because the men in question are asylum seekers, and from Africa?\\\

Yes, I'm afraid it does, as when minority groups are seen to be indulged over the indigenous population....yes it does.
It is known as ..."human nature." //

I must be out of step with 'human nature then' -

Would it really annoy me if money was being wasted in this way - yes.

Would I be any more annoyed because the individuals in question are African and / or asylum seekers - no.

[Sqad]

That's fine andy...that is your reaction, but not everyone's.

[andy-hughes]

Sqad - //That's fine andy...that is your reaction, but not everyone's.//

Absolutely - no argument there.

[Retrochic]

The true story (apparently) is that the company supplying the stretch hummer has a contract with the government and it did not cost anymore to send the Hummer as it would a coach - the hummer was available at the time. Probably not a wise decision from the Company but a much meatier story for the press than 'Bus delivers asylum seekers.

[Gromit]

The Mail haven't really gone out of their way to confirm the authenticity of the story. I guess they are not bothered if it is or not, their readers tend not to need proof.

The source of the story seems to be a pub landlord. The driver of the Hummer told the landlord he was transporting 7 men to Manchester.

The Mail haven't found out if the Home Office hired this vehicle. They haven't confirmed the cost. The destination or number of occupants. All they have is heresay, presented as fact

[andy-hughes]

Gromit - //The Mail haven't found out if the Home Office hired this vehicle. They haven't confirmed the cost. The destination or number of occupants. All they have is heresay, presented as fact //

So no change there!!

[Togo]

Brown was chancellor for 10 years. Were the four surplus budgets, say the first four after inheriting a massive Tory surplus. Of course they were.

[THECORBYLOON]

There are reports that the Home Office has reminded Serco of their obligations and Serco have apologised so there is nothing to suggest the story is not correct but as has been said, it did not cost the taxpayer more than normal.

[anotheoldgit]

/// Is their ethnicity relevant? ///

/// Surely a waste of money is just a waste of money - does it inflame Mail readers further because the men in question are asylum seekers, and from Africa? ///

!!!!! Oh dear, I've done it again, some never fail to respond !!!!!

But is not only the Mail and it's readers who are inflamed, because it seems it has also inflamed other news reports, since they also dare to report that the travellers came from Africa.

But to be fair the Telegraph did shy away from using a black Limo in their report.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/immigration/11930210/Home-Office-criticises-Serco-after-limo-hired-for-moving-asylum-seekers.html

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/oct/14/serco-criticised-after-hiring-limo-to-move-asylum-seekers

http://www.lbc.co.uk/luxury-stretch-limo-hired-to-transport-migrants-117900

[Gromit]

AOG

// Compass contract with the Home Office, said, "The transport provided, on this one occasion in July, was clearly inappropriate.

"There was no additional cost to the taxpayer. We have apologised to the Home Office and our internal processes have been changed to ensure that this will not happen again." //

So the truth is that the vehicle provided was on a fixed contract and did not cost anymore than a minibus.

Togo,
I'm afraid the Conservative John Major Government only produced deficits. There was no surplus inherited.

[Togo]

Over the period when he was selling gold half price then?

[anotheoldgit]

Why not pick-up trucks, isn't that their usual mode of transport?

http://www.biyokulule.com/sawiro/sawirada_waaweyn/Africa-poverty2.jpg

[Togo]

http://osb.revues.org/1136

//Having begun by pursuing an extremely conservative fiscal policy during the late 1990s, Gordon Brown, as Chancellor of the Exchequer and then Prime Minister, presided over a massive expansion in public spending to improve public services. This expansion of spending was justifiable in many ways, given poor investment in public services during the Thatcher-Major years. But it was arguably not sufficiently financed through taxation, and direct taxation in particular. The result was a run up of public deficits prior to the current financial and economic crisis, which broke the government's own fiscal rules. This in turn prepared the way for a substantial deterioration in public finances when the current crisis broke, a deterioration which may take years, if not decades to set right.//
This is a small portion from an article on the above site.