Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

John Nash, who worked for a private equity company with major education interests, will receive a peerage and become a schools minister. Mr Nash and his wife have given the Tories almost £300,000.

The announcement came just a day after another major donor was appointed to government.

Lord Popat, who was given a peerage in 2010, became a government whip on Wednesday. Lord Popat and his wife have given over £320,000 to support the Conservatives.

The reshuffle followed the resignations of the business minister Lord Marland and Lord Strathclyde, the leader of the House of Lords.

Lord Marland, who resigned to pursue business interests after less than three years in government, has also given the Conservatives over £300,000, leading to concerns about a donor’s merry-go-round of government appointments.

Mr Nash sponsors the Pimlico Academy and has been a non-executive member of the Department for Education’s board for the past two years.

Until Thursday morning, Mr Nash worked at Sovereign Capital, which specialises in the healthcare and education sectors.

The Telegraph previously disclosed that Caroline Nash, Mr Nash’s wife, had funded the office of the former Health Secretary Andrew Lansley while he was in opposition.

Mr Nash was previously the former chairman of one of the biggest private health providers to the NHS, Care UK.

According to Companies House records, he remains a partner at Sovereign Capital Partners, which is a private equity group.

Sovereign Strategy has previously backed the group Alpha Plus, which operates the exclusive Wetherby Preparatory School and Pembridge Hall.

It has also invested in the Greenwich School of Management. In its last review by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education, the School was warned that the “quality of student learning opportunities at the institution requires improvement to meet UK expectations.”

Paragon, which organises government-funded apprenticeships, is also backed by Sovereign.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said that Mr Nash would “be stepping away from all relevant business interests while he is serving as a Minister”.

The Permanent Secretary will put in place “arrangements to ensure that no conflict arises between his Ministerial duties and his charitable interests.”

A spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “What counts, and why he is the right person for the job, is his extensive knowledge of the education sector.”

Lord Popat is a Ugandan-born tycoon. The former refugee founded the TLC Group, which owns a string of hotels and care homes across Britain.

The connection between political appointments and donations to parties has raised questions before.

In 2007, the cash-for-honours scandal led to a lengthy police enquiry, during which Tony Blair became the first Prime Minister to be interviewed by the police.

Since becoming David Cameron became Prime Minister in 2010, he has sent a series of political donors to the House of Lords, including hedge fund manager Lord Fink, the financier Lord Magan and businessman Lord Edmiston. Lord Fink has given the Conservatives over £3million

so cameron gives out honours for cash .
nothing these man does is a shock he is corrupt
worse than the SS.

Meanwhile back on planet earth - North Korea 'crisis gone too far' says UN's Ban Ki-moon

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has said the North Korea "crisis has gone too far" after Pyongyang announced plans to restart its main Yongbyon nuclear complex.

Speaking at a news conference during a visit to Andorra, Mr Ban called for urgent talks with the North.

The move by Pyongyang is the latest in a series of measures in the wake of its third nuclear test in February.

All political parties give cash for honours, this is old news.. Its why the house of Lords is so overcrowded and the numbers need cutting down... Who cares really anyway, the last non-corrupt person to enter parliament was Guy Falkes and we all know how that ended... The memory lives on though in the hacktivist group Anonymous who have reportedly hit N Korea with a string of DDos attack. I take comfort knowing that should UN sanctions continue to fail and if US threat of military force has no affect then at least 'Anonymous' is able to make the countries servers fall over...

Why is little weed so green ?

Because Bill & Ben flob a lot.

Tanker,

I agree with you.

This is corrupt mickey mouse government with the policies and morality of a banana republic.

At least, one knows the price of a peerage and themselves. What is like having others in your pockets.

Cameron and Osborne and his henchmen are running the UK as a thiefdom and becoming an embarrassment and one can see why they are ignored more and more in Europe and on the international stage.

If as many expect, the tories will lose the next election I wonder what the backlash will be?

lol

patronage of one kind or another has been the way of the world throughout the world since time immemorial, whether it is of the arts, jobs, business, government or "reward in kind for services rendered" or anything else, so why be so priggish about it? ...... forgot why; how silly of me; you are a prig

Prig - had to get the dictionary out, lol more a pr---.

prig is a very exact description of fred on this and other occasions .... it's a very useful and descriptive word, along with miffed and spiffing

Still prefer 'Gobshite' much more succinct.

but far too coarse i'm afraid :-)
btw, prig is only a succinct 4 letters!

Patronage by private individuals, (for the arts, science, sports or "good" causes, when using their own private "wealth", would seem in general acceptable and useful to society as a whole.

But, using the public purse, or public position, to dole out positions of "grandeur", public office, or contracts to "mates", "cronies", or "benefactors" is a form of corruption.

You are entitled to your own “morality” and acceptance of different “codes of practice”, but I see the standards you appear to condone are partially responsible for the lack of trust in this government and the apathy which is pervading the UK.

Because previous governments were less that “honest” that does not mean that the present government should be equally debauched.

But that is the problem when a small elitist gang get into a powerful position.

PS.

I can see members of the public are cheering the Welfare changes. Once again, George looked uncomfortable and "out of touch" today.

I think Prig would be quite a suitable term for the conceited smug Dandy boys Cameron and Osborne.

Of course they seem to be friends of yours.

Do you have photos of them on the wall, or perhaps your bedside tables.

Forgot.

Complete tool, hmmmm

Gobshite = Stupid person. Or in your case Fred..... Gob (size large) shite.....( incessant excrement spills out of it.)

but of course he DOESN'T VOTE .... he thinks that all rather infra dig and prefers to sit on his backside in his cosy middle-class house pontificating as the resident armchair critic ... personally, i'ld much rather listen to "the oldest member" of pg wodehouse fame (even if pgw was a strong nazi supporter)

Cynic,

Then you are lucky that I write my postings, unless of course you have reached the stage of having somebody reading the messages out loud to you.

Perhaps, posting for you sometimes, as some of your inputs are better than others.

But I am glad my voting choices, which I believe I am still allowed under the present mob, is like a red rag to you.

I will have to remind you occasionally, in case senility takes an increasingly rapid course for you.