Prince of Darkness – Conflict of Interests

Whilst we have come to expect a little shall we say flexible interpretation of rules from Tony’s man in Brussels, this is astonishingly stupid.

Leading Conservatives accused Peter Mandelson, the EU trade commissioner, yesterday of a serious lapse of judgment after it emerged he had attended a private party on the yacht of Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft.

For those with short memories, Microsoft has been caught up in a long running legal with none other than the EU. It seems that its not just Mr Barroso who has Millionaire Yacht owning friends, but at least he has been friends with his holiday host since long before he become EC President.