The flights

The so-called Independent newspaper has recently questioned with hints, nudges and winks, the trip made the Cameron family to Turkey this summer. (Do Mandelson's tentacles even reach this far?)

The facts are clear. A family connection offered his private jet and Cameron and family went to Turkey and on to Santorini for a brief Murdoch birthday celebration. The Camerons paid for their own lodging, except perhaps briefly after the party. Subsequently Cameron himself went on to Georgia during the crisis with the Russians. The Conservative party paid the full costs of this flight. At this point our Sub-Prime Minister was dithering, and Georgia needed reassurance that Britain was with them in their hour of peril. (Milliband himself went but after some days.)

This is rather different to our previous beloved leader, who flew to the West Indies, Italy, Egypt, etc., for holidays, and frequently managed to fit in an important? meeting with governments, to be able to claim that the trip was official. I am assuming that the Dependent also reported with nudges and winks on these trips.