08/08/2014
Stephen Knight, who happens to be a Lib-Dem member of the London Assembly,
is not too happy with Mayor Alexander (aka Boris) Johnson.
By making a "Europe" speech at Bloomberg, following the prime minister who used the same venue over a year ago, he says, "it was clear that the Mayor of London was sabotaging the launch of his Chief Economic Adviser's report on our place in the EU as a (re)launch pad for his political career".
That, Mr Knight, regards as something of a waste of money, helpfully informing us that Mr Johnson
paid Volterra Partners £36,400 to provide supporting research for the report. And given that Dr Lyons is paid
£128,472 a year for a four-day week, and picked up
£14,376.83 in expenses during the last financial year, I guess we can add a few more grand to cover his contribution.
Then there is Nicholas Garrott, Lyons' economic assistant. He helped with the report, in addition to which the economics team at the Greater London Authority had their work incorporated. Then there was a "small steering committee", with four others, plus the labour of diverse PAs and the services of Helen Booth who (rather badly) proof read the report.
Putting it all together, it would not be unreasonable to suggest that this little enterprise cost about £100,000 â all to give Mr Johnson a backdrop for a career relaunch.
Just what a complete waste it all was comes with the findings of
the report, which has Dr Lyons ruling out the Norway Option as "not being a suitable future option for the UK", and also the Swiss option which he marks down as "not suitable for the UK".
Yet, on one occasion, Mr Johnson
tells us that, "we could negotiate a generous exit, securing EFTA-style access to the Common Market", while on another occasion, Lyons himself
blandly informs us that the UK could leave the EU "and strike a new deal along the lines of those enjoyed by countries like Norway and Switzerland".
Not only does it appear that Mr Johnson hasn't read the Lyons report, I don't think Dr Lyons has either. And with the headlines focused on Mr Johnson's plans to return to the Commons, the debate about our role in the EU, complains Mr Knight, "gets swept under the carpet and reduced to meaningless sound bites".
For a hundred grand, or possibly even more, we really should have got better value, but then it isn't the first time money has been
poured down the drain on a Brexit plan. It seems a general rule is beginning to emerge â the more money spent, the worse the plan.
By that measure,
Flexcit is going to be pretty spectacular when it's finished - and another thing that neither Dr Lyons nor Mr Johnson will read.
FORUM THREAD 
