Less than 6 months ago, the government launched an expensive campaign urging us all to holiday at home this year. Now, they’re all leaving Britain for their summer break.
In a blatant act of hypocrisy, a large group of ministers and MPS are set to leave Britain, in favour of holidays abroad. This prominent group includes Nick Clegg, Harriet Harman, as well as Ed Milliband and is led by the Prime Minister, David Cameron.
This exodus takes place a mere five months after the government launched ‘Holidays at Home are Great’ campaign. Costing £3 million in taxes and starring some of the biggest celebrity names in the UK, it was the largest domestic holiday campaign in history.
A proud campaign Jeremy Hunt launched the campaign in March and the TV adverts displayed a strong cast enjoying a variety of UK destinations. Harry Potter’s Rupert Grint was seen surfing on Bridlington beach in Yorkshire, while Downton Abbey’s Michelle Dockery, Stephen Fry and Julie Walters also encouraged viewers to stay put this Summer.
The campaign was driven by VisitEngland, with assistance from the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish tourist boards, to help stimulate local economies. It combined the excitement generated by The Diamond Jubilee and The Olympics with a cost-effective, no-hassle message. ‘No wonder holidays at home are so great’ the adverts claimed, ‘No passports. No jabs. No visas. No Euros.’
Jeremy Hunt claimed the worth of the £3million cost would be evident in reaction to the campaign. He may now be hoping that the party that stood behind so firmly, earlier in the year, would do the same now the Jubilee and Olympics are over.
Last month, David Cameron appeared on message, saying ‘if you want a holiday then why not have one here,’ but, after visiting Tuscany in 2011, he’s now booked a family trip to a secret European destination (albeit, after a brief stay in Cornwall)His Deputy, Nick Clegg, fares even worse. After visiting his wife’s family in Spain, he is then venturing to another country altogether and his villa in France.
Those in power are not the only ones at fault. Ed Milliband is taking an opportunistic trip to Greece, while Harriet Harman is already in France.
Jeremy Hunt can at least rely on one minister, as Jeremy Clarke, the Justice Secretary, has decided to go for the most simple of breaks, spending his time at home in near Nottingham. Not so much a holiday, but his chances of visiting Bridlington beach over a weekend are an awful lot higher than those who are a whole plane flight away.
Jeff Hirons is an angry man when it comes to politics, though he’s nice to his colleagues. He works at travelworldrv.co.uk the UK #1 in American and European motorhomes.