En vacances avec les amis de Peter Hain
He may have got his fingers burned extolling the virtues of , but Peter Hain has once again dared to share with us the dilemmas faced by some of the middle-classes.
Readers of The Sunday Times, and those who pay to get over its website paywall, will have enjoyed the shadow Welsh Secretary's travel article headlined Peter Hain on buying a holiday home with friends.
As the man himself puts it: "Ever dreamt of a place of your own in France, but been daunted by the cost, the responsibility and whether you would ever get out there enough to enjoy it?"
Indeed. Mr Hain explains how a group of his close friends clubbed together to buy a French holiday home, complete with femme de ménage, or housekeeper, and a gardener. No word on whether the kitchen has an Aga or not.
Research into the property took some time - "thank goodness for budget flights" says the Neath MP - but the project has been a great success.
Mr Hain, then a busy Minister, decided not to join the co-operative, although he does own a share in a small family property in Spain.
The French property has since doubled in value. "I still don't regret opting out, but I am a little wistful" he writes.
With Labour keen to attack the Tory/Lib Dem coalition's "cabinet of millionaires", perhaps opting out was the wisest move.
One of the friends, Andree Rushton, has written up the story as a book: Bonnes Vacances!: Sharing a House in France.
Hello. I'm David Cornock and I'm parliamentary correspondent for Ö÷²¥´óÐã Wales. This is the blog for the latest news and gossip from the Westminster village - with a Welsh accent.
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