How they milk the taxpayer

I am becoming ever more cynical. I read this article on the BBC website (here) and immediately thought that this was a ploy so that the PM could charge his air fares to the public purse:

"Tony Blair has ended a six-day holiday in Italy resuming official duties by holding talks in Rome with the country's new premier Romano Prodi.
The situation in Iraq was high on the agenda with Mr Prodi having promised to withdraw Italian troops.
The UK prime minister was a key supporter of Mr Prodi's bid to become European Commission president in 1999.
But their relationship has soured over the years over the way Mr Prodi ran the commission and over the war in Iraq.
Ahead of the talks Downing Street said the pair would have wide-ranging talks over lunch in their first meeting since Mr Prodi defeated Silvio Berlusconi to become Italy's prime minister."

No real agenda for a meeting which takes place over lunch? Probably no UK officials there except the Ambassador. And, in return, Mr Blair can claim his air fares both ways. This is the same scam that he (and, to be fair, previous prime ministers) pull when they come up to the Scottish party conference and tag on a half-hour official visit, which enables them to claim travel and subsistence at Government expense.