| Description | John Bull sits in a chair reading the 'red book' of pensions. He is stamping his feet and shaking his fist, and his wig has flown off in his rage. He says:
"Oh!! - Monstrous!! - that twenty-six state cormorants should swallow annually an aggregate sum; under the name of salaries, independent of the indefinible[sic] emoluments which result from the other sources of gain amounting to £453,652 can we any longer wonder that the love of place in these men should supersede every more exalted consideration". On the table next to him lies the mace and a list of names with the pensions they are paid, including Henry Dundas, Viscount Melville.
To the right of John Bull sit the MPs. One holds a giant 'List of Placemen | Pensions | and Sinecures', which lists prominent political figures and their pensions. These include Ellenborough, Eldon and Castlereagh. The MPs reply to John Bull:
"I swallow £10,000 and do very little for it", "and I £16,00 - for doing next to nothing", "and I 40,000£ for doing less", "and I £71,000 for doing nothing at all". On the right a man in Scottish dress, taking snuff, adds: "And I 18,000 for doing worse."
Available on CD 167. |