Investors In Paintings !
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Investors In Paintings !
The mandarins at Whitehall have invested 272K of our hard earned pounds in paintings to decorate the Mod corridors.
Described as 'inspirational pictures' - clearly using the cash on some 'inspirational groundcrew' to occupy RAF airfields didn't come within the terms of reference!
However why oh why didn't the Mod allow for a painting or photography competition within the forces to let the talents of it's
men and women come to the fore. I guess in this politically correct age it was too risky to allow for the possibility of 'Sunset over St Mawgan' or 'St Athan Blues' !
Described as 'inspirational pictures' - clearly using the cash on some 'inspirational groundcrew' to occupy RAF airfields didn't come within the terms of reference!
However why oh why didn't the Mod allow for a painting or photography competition within the forces to let the talents of it's
men and women come to the fore. I guess in this politically correct age it was too risky to allow for the possibility of 'Sunset over St Mawgan' or 'St Athan Blues' !
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photography competition
There must be thousands of 'inspirational paintings' in store somewhere from the hundreds of RAF stations which have closed over the years.
So why not dust off a few of those?
Who on earth sanctioned £272000 of the tax payers' money to decorate the corridors of the mad MoD box?
I really hope the tabloids get hold of this and press for a full explanation.....
So why not dust off a few of those?
Who on earth sanctioned £272000 of the tax payers' money to decorate the corridors of the mad MoD box?
I really hope the tabloids get hold of this and press for a full explanation.....
The mandarins at Whitehall have invested 272K of our hard earned pounds in paintings to decorate the Mod corridors.
Described as 'inspirational pictures'
And my personal favourite .....
Best I go and mop up the cup of coffee I spilt when I found these
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BEagle - the broadsheets are using the story. I hate to think what the Sun would do with it! I guess a picture of a corridor
with a old master on the wall just to get the point across would be their first attempt! It really is completely amazing how the Mod and government seem to almost live now on leaks .
Does nobody vet these decisions!
with a old master on the wall just to get the point across would be their first attempt! It really is completely amazing how the Mod and government seem to almost live now on leaks .
Does nobody vet these decisions!
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Riley
I suspect that the kind of W@nker who makes these kind of decisions does not have many people above them to vet their actions. The press has made much of the NHS doing similar, and generally the decisions are made at the highest levels.
T*ssers !
Safety_Helmut
I suspect that the kind of W@nker who makes these kind of decisions does not have many people above them to vet their actions. The press has made much of the NHS doing similar, and generally the decisions are made at the highest levels.
T*ssers !
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There are some cracking pictures already in the MOD library. If they were looking for something "inspirational" then you couldn't get much better than a bloody battle scene a la Waterloo, Nelson's Victory, B of B etc. Or is that too un-PC and focuses too much on conflict/colonial past etc etc?!!!!!!!!!!! The freaks are indeed running the circus that is called the MOD. Next thing you know, we'll be painting the inside of Warriors pink to calm the soldiers down.
Just think, with that money, the lads living in the run down barrack blocks could have hot water, decent heating, the list is endless.
Watched a program on Sky recently on UK prisons and the next day I went into a barrack block, Oh to be at Her Majesties Pleasure.
Does this not smack slightly of a certain Air Staff Officer spending budget money that wasn't his to decorate his official home, to the detriment of new kitchens etc for airmans married quarters?
Watched a program on Sky recently on UK prisons and the next day I went into a barrack block, Oh to be at Her Majesties Pleasure.
Does this not smack slightly of a certain Air Staff Officer spending budget money that wasn't his to decorate his official home, to the detriment of new kitchens etc for airmans married quarters?
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Plans,
You're absolutely right - I'm amazed the media hasn't made more of the 'Lads in Squalor' story because it's widespread and blatent example of lack of investment - and this is at their HOME BASE! (...not the DIY store). The principle cause for the difference in conditions is that prisoners are better represented and their rights outweigh the regular-waived tenant's rights of, particularly, the junior ranks.
The MoD is a fantastic example of reverse funding where the end product - the forces - doesn't receive enough money because everyone else on the way creams off their percentage. Fine for a car factory but a little more dangerous for a countries' military, especially when we're getting shot at.
That anyone associated with the under-funded and sorely stretched MoD can spend £272k on PAINTINGS demonstrates the dires straits we're in, when the people they are 'in support of' can't get hot water, heating, proper kit, aircraft spares...the list goes on.
You're absolutely right - I'm amazed the media hasn't made more of the 'Lads in Squalor' story because it's widespread and blatent example of lack of investment - and this is at their HOME BASE! (...not the DIY store). The principle cause for the difference in conditions is that prisoners are better represented and their rights outweigh the regular-waived tenant's rights of, particularly, the junior ranks.
The MoD is a fantastic example of reverse funding where the end product - the forces - doesn't receive enough money because everyone else on the way creams off their percentage. Fine for a car factory but a little more dangerous for a countries' military, especially when we're getting shot at.
That anyone associated with the under-funded and sorely stretched MoD can spend £272k on PAINTINGS demonstrates the dires straits we're in, when the people they are 'in support of' can't get hot water, heating, proper kit, aircraft spares...the list goes on.
As much as I hate the tabloid press (Journo's have a half life of a thousand years you know) I really feel that this is a story they should get a grip of and shake until something happens.
It stinks - Main Building has had so much money thrown at it during the 're-fit' that it now beggars belief that they waste money on paintings that they don't need.
What next? Tai Chi guru's on a grand a week for morning excercise of the staff?
Egon Roney to run the staff canteen?
Get some of these buggers to spend some time in a barrack block and then they may realise why the junior ranks are so pissed off with the squalor they live in. In fact I've seen run down council estates in better nick than some barrack blocks.
It stinks - Main Building has had so much money thrown at it during the 're-fit' that it now beggars belief that they waste money on paintings that they don't need.
What next? Tai Chi guru's on a grand a week for morning excercise of the staff?
Egon Roney to run the staff canteen?
Get some of these buggers to spend some time in a barrack block and then they may realise why the junior ranks are so pissed off with the squalor they live in. In fact I've seen run down council estates in better nick than some barrack blocks.
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Cheers, RD.
From the DT "David Davies, the Conservative MP for Monmouth, who was given the figures in a written answer, said: "While the Government are trying to plug the black hole of the Treasury's budget deficit, they're also making sure their walls are nicely lined with expensive drawings."", so I guess it's been done already.
Stinks, though...
From the DT "David Davies, the Conservative MP for Monmouth, who was given the figures in a written answer, said: "While the Government are trying to plug the black hole of the Treasury's budget deficit, they're also making sure their walls are nicely lined with expensive drawings."", so I guess it's been done already.
Stinks, though...
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From the Telegraph on 18 Nov 05, Duncan Gardham reported that
From Hansard: David Davies asked a question about Departmental Spending on 3 Nov 05(column 1260W) for the Secretary of State for Defence to itemise the works of art bought in 2004–05; and what the cost of each was. Don Touhig, Under Secretary of State for Defence and Minister for Veterans, offered a written reply that:
In a supplementary question on 16 Nov 05 (column 1240W) David Davies asked for an itemised list and Don Touhig responded
The department spent £272,600 on eight new paintings by two British-born artists for its refurbished headquarters as part of what a spokesman called "defence diplomacy". The Home Office revealed yesterday that it has spent £150,000 on art for its new building, while the Government Art Collection spent £295,500, mostly for embassies abroad. The MoD has been heavily criticised for overspending on major projects and running out of vital equipment for the Armed Forces in Iraq and elsewhere. The department has recently renovated its central London headquarters at a cost of £350 million. A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence Art Collection said the artists, Zil Hoque, 43, who lives in South London, and Louise Cattrell, 48, from Birmingham, were asked to reflect the idea that the MoD was a "force for good in the 21st century". The public is unlikely to see the works due to "difficulties with security access".
The sum of £232,000, excluding VAT, was spent on works of art, as part of the Ministry of Defence Main Building Redevelopment programme during 2004–05.
The works of art purchased during 2004–05 were a set of four paintings by Zil Hoque—"Nimbus I, II, III, IV"—the set having a cost of £160,000, excluding VAT, and a set of four paintings by Louise Cattrell—"Eyrie, Aerial, Tempest and Keep"—this set having a cost of £72,000, excluding VAT.