| Topic: | Government jet | |
| Posted by: | Brendan McCarthy | |
| Date/Time: | 19/11/15 18:06:00 |
| I remember many of the same points being made when the Irish government bought an executive jet many years ago. There was a huge fuss then, but it's uncontroversial now. The reality is that cabinet ministers lead very stressed lives, lives that most of us would regard as unacceptable. Over a day or two, a minister may have to make long visits to the regions, attend a cabinet meeting in London, then a European Council of Ministers in Brussels, and then leg it back to their constituencies simply to show their faces. I've seen these stresses close-up and know how tough the life is. There are many reasons to criticise ministers. This isn't one. This is a sensible way to help them to do their jobs properly. Pretty well every European government has aircraft at their disposal for ministers' necessary travel. The only surprise for me is that the UK is only doing it now. |