I've got to fly

Readers may know that I work for the Ministry of defence, and that occasionally have to go and do some work. ( Have I any readers? who cares?)

Anyway, I've to join my ship on the Island of Crete. Simple you would think. Oh no it's not, Not if you work for MOD.

If I was to book my own flight I would have a direct flight lasting 6 hours.

The MOD has arranged this:

Leg 1. Depart Heathrow 1710 hrs
Arrive Amsterdam 1935 hrs

Leg 2. Depart Amsterdam 2035 hrs
Arrive Athens 0050 hrs

Leg 3 Depart Athens 0550 hrs
Arrive Chania 0640 hrs

That's nearly 12 hrs to do the same journey. I cannot believe that's the cheapest option. Apart from the fact that I've got to hang around Athens airport for 5 hours in the middle of the night. I did that in Johannesburg a while back, no fun believe you me.

Mind you, they've contracted out our travel arrangements to a private travel firm.

Mmmmm

We've had it.

This is staggering.

The FT’s resident economics guru Chris Giles has a flabbergasting explanation of the scale of the debt the government is raising in the next two years: £350bn.

“That is more debt bequeathed to its successor than the total borrowed by successive rulers and governments of Britain between 1691 and 1997, the year Labour was elected.”’

Will we ever be able to pay it off?