We're in that position as one of the heirs is bankrupt. It's even more complicated as the notary needs to confirm that the inheritance taxes are paid and that the deceased and all heirs don't have any debt to the state. The notary can deduct the taxes before disbursement but it's proving to be slow.

Just to clarify that last bit. In Belgium, the heirs are taxed individually, rather than the estate, and at a fairly high level. All of the heirs have to pay their taxes before anyone can receive their inheritance and I reckon there's still a year or two to go since one heir is being difficult.

We're dealing with our parents' estate and there's a year free of council tax. If it's not resolved by then, the council tax falls to the estate. Also dealing with the estate of my Belgian in-laws, makes the UK look like a sprint plus we've already paid the inheritance taxes long before disbursement

It's that moment when you voice an idle thought aloud and suddenly your team has come up with an action plan to implement it. You soon learn to keep them to the inner voice.

Of course, when she says capital, she means debt.

For someone that senior, all of the delays disappear. Of course, it's possible that they found enough in a couple days that they could stop looking any further

That's why I bought an EV with no worries about charging on long journeys. It's very rare that the car's range is shorter than my body's range.

There's a lot that's ridiculous in the faith that's placed in ministers to be good eggs, not just the lack of vetting. I suspect that there's more vetting done by the whips than anyone else.

The security services aren't the ones that do vetting, though the vetting teams will consult with them. That's not to say that the security service doesn't keep tabs on people who they see as a risk.
Nonetheless, ministers don't undergo DV

While not trying to minimalise your fatigue, I'm happy to be the one you can point at and say, could be worse :-)

Tell me about it. 18 sessions of radiotherapy, out of 33, and 2 months into hormone therapy and I'm wiped. If anything needs done, it has to be first thing since afternoons are dedicated to old man snoozes.

Ministers aren't vetted so they didn't "pass".

Ministers don't get DV'd. Unfortunately, some might say

I know, happy hunting grounds for adversaries.

In normal circumstances, an ambassador's vetting report should get nowhere near the PM's desk. For someone with a history like Mandelson's, you would think political nous would make it essential reading.

... Voicing an opinion on this, stating that their expertise is based on having (or had) DV clearance. It's a bit "first rule of fight club" and publicising having DV is a good way to lose it.

I was the personnel security manager for a large government department and, in a politically sensitive case like this, the detailed outcome of the process would be shared with the senior leadership of the department but, you're right, not with the subject. It's amusing to see the number of people...

I had this with a member of my team who was in pain but wouldn't go to the doctor because he had too much on. I had to gently point out that, while he would be sadly missed, if he were flattened by a bus tomorrow then I'd have the job advert written by the end of the week so get his arse to the doc.

It's always been defined as a benefit, you have no contract.

I'd buy that.

That's a bit uppity from the office manager.

What does that even mean?

People don't seem to get that NATO is a consensus based organisation and, if the US just keeps saying no, it all grinds to a halt.

The first part is made up, as is typical in the military. You'd be amazed at the number of "Rock" Hudsons.

You'd never have got far with that here.

We were there a few months ago and you've got to take joy wherever you find it. I know my mother would have laughed at a similar comment if she heard it.

My Belgian in-laws have given up on any ideas of visiting the UK. Not just ETA but they'll also need to get 5 passports so that they can cross the channel, so they're sticking to EU countries.

The word I'm looking for is much less family friendly.

I suspect that would have some significant knock on effects given that the US presence in the UK and the nuclear weapons deployed in a number of European countries are all under NATO agreements which, presumably, would become void if the US withdrew.

I love how his reply just reinforces the status chasing point, almost to the point of parody.