The Apprentice Politician

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Sir Alan Sugar, “businessman and TV personality” has been offered the position of Enterprise Champion a position in the UK government responsible for advising the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and promoting entrepeneurship.

I say “offered” the position , as in an interview with him this morning, Sir Alan appears a little confused as to why the government has given him this title and exactly what the title infers. He says that the role is totally non political and that he is intending to do what he does best, which is encourage and promote business and training and this title gives him the opportunity to spread this work further afield.

All good stuff, except … the role of Enterprise Champion carries with it a Labour peerage. The future Lord Alan Sugar, can’t say what would happen if the Government became Conservative led, as he does not know enough about David Cameron to back the party. Yet he has been a personal friend of Gordon Brown, he says, for at least 10 years.
Am I confused ? Not really. It seems blatantly obvious from what Alan Sugar has said this morning, and the manner in which he has said it, is that this another case of “jobs for the boys”. Which government would not want a man onboard who has estimated fortune of £830m ? (Of course, he is not actually joining the government)

I have to say that going on Alan Sugar’s “performance” this morning – ruffled appearance with open necked shirt, stuttering over his words and attempting to look surprised at his new position – any decent interviewing panel would say “You’re Fired” before the interview began.
A man working very closely with the Prime Minister who does not wish to talk politics ? Rt Hon Kevin Baron MP – having you been spreading your philosophy around ?

Comments

General Public said…
He also said he won't be a working peer - I don't know if that is because he didn't understand the question, or because to do so would mean taking a party whip and giving up the BBC gig.

I wonder if he will give his expenses to charity? He doesn't seem to go on about that so much anymore.

I note too that Viglen won a £30 million contract to provide computers to the public sector last month.
7 June 2009 at 04:40
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