Good connections...

Good Tuesday,

Moussa Koussa – Gaddafi’s former right hand man, who (arguably wisely) deserted him and flew to London last week – is facing questioning from British police over his terrorist background. It’s not all bad for him though, as Obama has apparently ‘un-freezed’ his US bank account so that he can access his money. Apparently this is to give him a bit of a break, and to encourage the rest of Gaddafi’s crew to jump ship with him.

In the Ivory Coast, current (illegal) President Gbagbo has all but been defeated by (legal) President Outtara, and is said to be hiding with his family in a bunker for the time being. He still has supporters on the ground who are willing to fight for him, so a civil war is on the cards.

In the UK, Nick Clegg – leader of the liberal democrat party – has announced plans to crack down on children-of-the-rich getting a leg up on the career ladder by using family contacts to get their foot in the door at otherwise impenetrable companies.

It’s a common thing here and everywhere else in the world. There are two reasons why it is unfair and they should probably be kept separate.

Number one: Youths with well-connected parents get internships just because of whom they know. Yes it’s an unfair advantage but most of us can cope with it. If you are good enough with the sweet talk, you can generally blag these sorts of opportunities – rich Daddy or not.

Number two: Most big dog companies don’t pay you for internships. This really is unfair. It’s basically slave labour. You can end up working full time at fancy magazine, for example, for 6 months and not get a bean. Sure you might get hired eventually but only those with parents who can afford to bankroll you in the meantime need apply.

Nick Clegg will never be able to stop people from using their contacts to get jobs, but it would be a step in the right direction if he could force companies to pay the poor buggers.

We shall see. Until tomorrow.