Sunday 1 December 2013

Those boozy MPs - Some maths for the Daily Mail

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Terrible!

Taxpayer-subsidised bars for MPs sold more than 65,000 alcoholic drinks in the last year - despite a promised crackdown on the Commons 'booze culture'.

There are 650 MPs. That's 100 drinks each across the year - and this assumes that only MPs drink in the House of Commons bars (which isn't true) - which is less than two drinks a week. Even the most enthusiastic New Puritan is more or less OK with two drinks a week.

Of course, the Commons issues passes to lots of people - researchers, secretaries and so forth - and there are hundred of people who work in the House. All before we account for the guests of MPs. While subsidising the bars is wrong, the idea that there is some kind of Commons 'booze culture' is arrant nonsense.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"..,the idea that there is some kind of Commons 'booze culture' is arrant nonsense."

I wish it wasn't. Seems to me that the stuff coming out of Westminster was a lot more reasonable in the days of George 'tired and emotional' Brown than the relentless, cocaine-driven bilge we get these days.

But, no, it shouldn't be subsidised

Anonymous said...

"..,the idea that there is some kind of Commons 'booze culture' is arrant nonsense."

I wish it wasn't. Seems to me that the stuff coming out of Westminster was a lot more reasonable in the days of George 'tired and emotional' Brown than the relentless, cocaine-driven bilge we get these days.

But, no, it shouldn't be subsidised