A couple of ex-pat royals have been making the news. For an interesting diversion on the story Statista had look at the cost of the Royal household to us as taxpayers. When everybody is complaining at how Westminster is failing to recognise the work, and the sacrifices, of NHS doctors and nurses the figures are mind blowing. 1% for nurses, in England, but an average annual increase of 10.6% for the royal household over the last 8 years.
Newsnet has calculated the percentage increase each year for the period of the Statista chart. The rather flatish blue line along the bottom of our diagram is the annual rate of inflation which is the level of worth most of us have to live with – nurses, hospital orderlies, firemen, pensioners – if we are lucky. There are those and such as those on the public payroll who seem to do rather better.
Osbourne’s austerity budget in the wake of the financial crash meant 0% increase for the royal household for 2015 but Phillip Hammond made up for it later with a 41.3% increase for 2019. The increase for 2020 was a more modest 3.58% but still more than twice the 2019 inflation rate of 1.74%.
Scotsman: “SNP messages alleged to prove conspiracy against Alex Salmond ‘turned out to be mince'”
The Scotsman has a story on the ‘conspiracy’ against Alex Salmond where an ‘inquiry source’ has told them “Messages billed as key to proving the existence of a ‘malicious effort’ from senior figures in the SNP to damage Alex Salmond’s reputation and have him imprisoned show nothing of the sort.”
Elsewhere Gorbachev’s 90th birthday caught the attention of Edinburgh writer Gillean Somerville-Arjat in Gorbachev at 90 and probity in public life comparing two charismatic men, Michail Gorbachev and Alex Salmond. She does not mince her words when discussing the latter. Cleared of criminal charges Somerville-Arjat suggests a wiser person would have sought to rebuild his life rather than engage in an endless round of vindictiveness against his successor as First Minister.
Writing in the Scottish Review Gillean Somerville-Arjat noted: “The old Hollywood casting couch meets Holyrood? But they [the women] are the ones who should be complaining now, not the former First Minister.”
In a comparison she concludes: “Mikhail Gorbachev was, like Alex Salmond, alleged to be difficult to work with – charismatic individuals often are – but he was never guilty of drunkenness or womanising.”
Piers Morgan. What is there to say? Other than what he said himself that he was off to be alone with his opinions. Andrew Neil is keen to sign him up for GB News. Alex Salmond has got very friendly with Andrew Neil – Andrew Neil, Piers Morgan and Alex Salmond? that would be the unholy trinity.
