Sibyl of Suburbia - The Oracle of Droitwich

Inspired by "The Temple of Droitwich", or the spa town's unique saltwater lido (shown above), Janet and Rocco have decided to embark upon a new story whose working title is "The Sibyl of Suburbia".

The prophetess in question draws upon chthonic spirits inhabiting Droitwich's briny underworld and provides auguries linked to global consumer spending and the retail sector, having already established contacts in China where fortune-telling is more culturally acceptable.

Whilst Janet is the scribe of this new narrative, Rocco - the cat oracle - will provide expert advice on the arts of augury from ancient times to the present day, including economic forecasting which, as J K Galbraith once said, "exists to make astrology look respectable".

BEYOND SATIRE (AND BURLESQUE) - From this week's Parliamentary Written Answers

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on what date the decision was taken by his Department to authorise public expenditure on an away day at the Brickhouse burlesque club; how much was spent on the away day and on which contractors and firms; what form the teambuilding event took; and what steps have been taken to reduce expenditure on away days. [59209]

Robert Neill: This away day event was authorised by the Department in February 2010, before the coalition Government took office. The booking was made under the last Administration, while the cost of the event was debited via the Government Procurement Card in May 2010.

Poisson Rouge, an events management company, were contracted to provide the venue and the event. The total cost of the event was £4,719.21 which comprised £3,417.71 of payments made to Poisson Rouge and £1,301.50 to the venue, the Brickhouse.

The event involved hire of a room during the day at the venue, for a review of work in internal audit. While I am informed the Brickhouse often features such figures as ‘burlesque chanteuse Lady Beau Peep’ and ‘showgirl sensation Amber Topaz’, the event in this instance did not involve civil servants watching, or indeed, performing cabaret or other eclectic entertainment.

No alcohol was consumed at the event. The purpose of the staff event was to review work carried out for 2009-10, identify areas for improvement, agree changes for the forthcoming year to improve service delivery and build the team. However, the final part of the day did involve a team building event involving drumming, organised by Poisson Rouge.

Notes
Mr Elphicke is Conservative MP for Dover and Deal. Mr Neill is a Minister in the Department for Communities and Local Government (or Pickles Department according to some reports)
The Brickhouse - http://www.thebrickhouse.co.uk/ - is a London cabaret club
Poisson Rouge - http://www.poissonrouge.co.uk/ - is an events and team building company, possibly related to New Labour