The London Summit: 4 hours 35 minutes

Gordon's save the world summit next Thursday is going to be awfully short.

Leaders' breakfast 8.30am - 9.45am

Morning session including finance ministers and central bankers 9.50am- 1.25pm

Lunch 1.25pm - 2.30pm

Afternoon session including finance ministers and central bankers 2.30pm to 3.30pm

Closing press conferences, 3.30 onwards

So it's 4 hours and 35 minutes of formal talks plus time spent chatting over three meals (including Downing Street dinner the night before). And the British taxpayer gets not much change from £20 million quid for the pleasure. Bretton Woods, when international institutions were last re-made, lasted three weeks.

Comments

[Mad Max]

Itinerary: Gulp!

[oldrightie]

An utter disgrace. Still it probably just takes a few minutes to print £20 million.

[Glyn H]

Yet another Labour party expense charged to the taxpayer, just like Mr Campbells salary. Now we know how they abuse the 2nd homes allowances is this a surprise but where are the protests? Select committees chaired by sycophants like McFall and Vaz, the Opposition worried by their own dodgy position on allowances, Ombundesmen get fired after 1 term (e.g. Filken) so are neutered. This Administration is a disgrace to our democracy.

[MC]

What I would like to know is the cost of Brown's 5 day trip to Europe, USA, and South America last week ? No benefit to the country just his ego and part of his election campaign.

That should definitely be a Labour Party expense. Isn't it time that trips like this are vetted by Parliament ?

When a company is running at a loss ALL expenses are assessed and justified. Time for the same logic to apply to Brown and his colleagues.

[Mary]

Charge it to Jacquie Smith.

[Jim]

Whilst our own struggle to make ends meet in this "labour" paradise, this over paid, underworked ruling elite milk us dry in every sense. I`m pleased to know my hard earned cash is going to pay for this 3 meal menu without a hope in hell of sorting anything out from this mess.Perhaps if Gordon spent more time supervising his own colleagues nose bags, there might have been even more money to waste on this non sensical event which we can ill afford.Still us little people count for nothing in good old "Gordons Britain"

[sinna mani]

Why anyone in the world would want to listen to Gordon Brown baffles me he is one of the architects of the present misery. His affectations for the third world poverty is phoney. Blind faith in market forces seems to be his abiding principle. He claims too much for anglo-Saxon model of capitalism when in fact the
limited successes elsewhere owe very little to his model. The perception that the US is a mighty power is wrong. It lives off the sweat of third world countries. For instance China not only supplies cheap goods but invests the savings of some of the poorest people there so that America can go on inventing military hardware to frighten the peasants of this world. I thought Obama might slightly tilt the balanance in a new direction but it seems unlikely with toxic friends like Gordon Brown not to mention his toxic friends in his own country.The only way out of this mess is for countries like India China to share their experiences with countries even less fortunate than themselves. China should say goodbye to export led growth and lend money to its own people to buy goods manufactured there. This may not suit a few oligarchs who want to be world players. As far as people in the US and Britain are concerned they should demand a fairer distribution of existing wealth and rule out altogether any idea of growth for it is not necessary and it is harmful to the planet. It is too much to expect this of a leader who can not control the greed of his own members of parliament.

[bob]

yeah lets save money and ban all meetings - lets cut down on those pesky phone bills as well and ban politicians from talking to each other at all. think of all the money we will have - about an extra 50p each! whoop!

[ronnie]

Ha Ha , i think some have a hidden agenda here! this is a bit bigger than Labour V Conservative.

Anyway this is a perilous situation, so why is anyone getting pay increases? Especially anyone in goverment?

I want a transparent money system where the people have a say, if the people oppose the pay (including expenses) then it will be debated and sorted by the tax payer.

Every matter where tax payers money is concerned this needs to be put to the public for approval, get rid of these inside jobs.

The local councils need to be transparent without such huge payouts for retirement. There should be a cap. I know one who had 1/4 million, she was only there 2 years, that is a job, the same as a indian slogging there guts out for min wage or anyone who is sweating being a waitress.

Phone distraction .....back in a mo

[Scot Richards]

MPs should not be paid a salary.

Instead, when a candidate runs for a seat in Parliament they should state as part of their campaign manifesto exactly how much they will charge annually. The electrorate can then take in cost as part of their decision process.

This will encourage those who have already proven that they can look after themselves and their own families to work on our behalf and do away with the professional politician class we now have and abhor who have entered politics simply because the couldn't cut it in the real world.

Some will say that this will disadvantage the poor as they will not be represented. I agree, but I don't think that would be a bad idea. After all, the stupid won't be represented either. The advantage is that it would remove money from the equation and perhaps inspire some of our more successful members of society to spend a few years working for their country.

[JohnM]

20 million pounds is nothing. We're (the people in the province of BC in Canada) are paying $2 billion for 2 weeks of olympic nonsense in Feb 2010. If the Brits cover that, we'll cover the G20 summit costs. Deal?