[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-20008342First Class numpty[/url

Interesting choice of title.

You will no doubt get the 10 pages of class war you are seeking. Another chance for some RL fans members to feel part of the 'us' in the never ending struggle against 'them'.

He's an arrogant

Seemingly a complete non story spawned by a journalist who was sitting in a different carriage yet claims to have full knowledge of what was said.

'tis a bit of a non-story really.

The real story was with the train manager who must have thought that his god was smiling down on him the day that the man who almost lost him his job boarded his train and sat in the wrong section, I bet when that aide was asked the second time for the upgrade cost he/she was one "No" away from being met at the next station by the BTP.

According to her report, Gideon's aide came and spoke to the ticket officer to suggest the Chancellor should be allowed to stay in first, within earshot of the reporter, and presumably others. Regardless of that, people are everywhere and could have presented the same report, via Twitter for example.

It's got currency because a reporter was there, but which ever way you cut it, it's arrogance, and ignorant too. Did he REALLY expect that no one would say anything?

So a man makes a mistake, is informed of mistake, upgrades so that there is no fuss and everything is completely legitimate and all is well with the world.
This probably happens about 20-30 times a day and of those 20-30 you may just get one every third day complain and kick off.

Oh...he's a Tory and what's that? he's rich as well... well then, sub human scum



Some peoples political leanings completely override all sense and decency.

Complete non story of the highest order.

Are you really that keen to jump to his defence that you didn't bother to actually read the details of what happened first? Or are you just glossing over them for effect?

Oh - and it's not the first time he's done this either. Rather worrying lack of attention for the man supposedly running the economy, wouldn't you say?

Who cares, really?

Politics is becoming so bloody childish.

He's a human, no one is perfect, no one.

We'll all try it then shall we?

Rich man tries to get something for nothing. He should be ashamed. As Kosh says, he's done it before too.

I'm more interested in the price of an upgrade. £160.



What the fook is the full price of a first class fare from Cheshire to Londonium?

Perhaps his spad should have looked on the trainline.com

it is a non story, yes, but I think most have already gathered he's an out of touch .

Don't know but he got it on the cheap anyway. That was for him and his aid so booking [ustandard class[/u at [ushort notice[/u the [uoff-peak[/u fair for two adults is £142.50.

To travel at [uany time[/u at such short notice the cheapest fair is £280 for two people.

Prices courtesy of trianline.com who will even let you book the same two person journey and pay £379 if you really, really want to.

I'll stick with my pre-booked standard off peak [ureturns[/u, Hull-London £20.

Hulltrains.com.

I wish he had refused to pay it, would love to have seen him frog marched off the train at the next station by the BTP and cautioned.

Proof no one wants to go to Hull...

Have you morphed into Dally?

So the Chancellor makes a balls up costing the taxpayer £160.

Could have been worse.

I understood that Osborne himself had mandated that all civil servants, including MPs, should travel at standard fare, if they wanted to travel 1st class, they had to pay the difference.

Yup he did, We're all in it together dontcha know.

Just some less in it than others.

Turns out to be the complete non-story it was always going to be:

I think it's more the bare faced cheek of trying to get away with sitting in first class without paying the first class fare. If his advisor had immediately paid the upgrade price instead of trying to get away without paying it and hadn't said things like he "can't possibly sit in standard class" then it wouldn't even have been remarked upon in the first place.

And that is the disagreement.

According to statements from his police close protection officer and Virgin Trains he didn't try and avoid the fare. The whole thing seems to have been fuelled by an over-excited journo and mass reverse-snobbery.

I haven't seen what his CPO has said, but that statement from Virgin Trains doesn't discount the journo's statement. It says there was no refusal to pay. It doesn't say there was no attempt to avoid payment. Which is what the journo's statement says, along with Osborne's refusal to sit in standard.