In these hard times, when Britons are 'all in this together' the last thing the Chancellor of the Exchequer needs is his father enthusing about his love for £19,000 ($37,430) pastiche neoclassical desks, holidays in Mustique, magnums of vintage wine and bagging a bargain at Christie's.
Sir Peter Osborne, 17th baronet of Ballintaylor and Ballylemon and the co-founder of the multimillion-pound Osborne & Little wallpaper empire, lists his favourite furniture, art, clothes and holidays in the Financial Times's How to Spend It, a supplement that does what it says on the tin.
While his son was on the radio yesterday reassuring Britons that Britain's £10 billion loan to the International Monetary Fund was worthwhile, and defending terrible headlines over his tax plans for grannies, pasties and charities, Sir Peter was telling readers how he spends his money.
Sir Peter's shopping list emerged at the same time as the disclosure that Prime Minister David Cameron's father, Ian, left a fortune of £2.74 million in his will after amassing money from investments in offshore tax havens. Ian Cameron left his younger son David £300,000 when he died in 2010.
Cameron's father set up funds in Panama and Geneva in 1982. The Prime Minister recently said the Government would be taking a "tougher approach" to offshore tax havens, "particularly with very wealthy individuals and with the bigger companies to make sure they pay their fair share".