Christmas lunch with the Chancellor

My half brother Chris works as an official at the Treasury (for non- British readers, that is the UK equivalent to other countries’ Ministry of Finance). We have a little tradition that each year he invites me to have Christmas lunch in the building’s excellent canteen.
I was there this lunchtime for turkey and six vegetables plus cranberry sauce followed by Christmas pudding and brandy sauce – delicious! On the next table but one to us, there was the Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown.
I was tempted to wander over and discuss “neoclassical endogenous growth theory and a symbiotic relationship between investment in people and infrastructure” (a quote from a famous Brown speech of 1996), but I decided that I should respect his privacy and allow him to enjoy his last Christmas lunch at the Treasury. Next year, he’ll be in No 10.

This entry was posted on Friday, December 15th, 2006 at 6:08 pm and is filed under My life & thoughts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.

5 Comments

  • Mavis
    December 16th, 2006 at 12:43 am

    You wish!!!!!!!! Or do you know something the rest of us do not.

  • Janet
    December 16th, 2006 at 11:48 am

    I bet they didn’t serve bread sauce with the turkey in the best British tradition! Cranberry is so American – they grow them and we don’t.

  • Roger Darlington
    December 16th, 2006 at 12:00 pm

    I think that they did have bread sauce, Janet, but I love cranberry so I happily went for that. As you know, these days Labour is the party promoting choice (whether we want it or not)!

  • Billy Hayes
    December 21st, 2006 at 3:09 am

    Roger,I am in Australia,having attended a UNI event,and now catching up with family,om my Mum’s side,nee Ellis.Their are now 100 of them out here.Six of my aunties and uncles came out in the l960s and 10 pound poms.Discovered that my cousin runs the Brisbane film festival and speaks at festivals around the world.Next time you see the name Gary Ellis,thimks he Billy,s.Also my counsin John Ellis worked on Bend it like Beckenham(sound).6 degress of seperation or what.P.S.We missed the Chancellors Kids Christnmas party because we are here.Happy Christmas,Billy Hayes

  • Billy Hayes
    December 23rd, 2006 at 3:29 am

    That should be John Hayes on Bend it Like Beckenham.We are also linked to Cardinal Spellman,(The American Pope).Six degressf Seperation.