Given that his boss dresses in pink silk,....

[woolybanana]

............. this is a bit of a cheek, though this guy's hat and stick do seem to be cheap tin. On the other hand, being Irish, he may appreciate that the country of his birth is making the best of a bad job, given the snow clearers' cockup they have made of the economy!

However, the idea that Jesus was poor is nonsense; He was born in  a stable because everywhere else was full as they had not used the internet booking system. Have you ever tried getting a bed round Bethlehem at this time of year. They had no choice!

And he was was presented with a ton of gilt edged securities as soon as he was born in the form of gold, frankensense and myrrh which would have lasted him for quite a bit. I understand that myrrh particularly was pretty dear that year as some guy called Herod had cornered the market and pushed the price up to the guiding star and beyond.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8210260/Cardinal-Keith-OBrien-austerity-era-could-help-us-live-the-simple-life.html

[cooperlola]

One of my numerous cousins is a priest in South West London.  My mother lives quite close to him and has her Christmas dinner with him and his cohorts.  They have several different choices of meat, endless fine wines, and exchange presents (he regularly gives my mother a case of decent wine for her birthday too).  Waited on, naturally, by Streatham's answer to Mrs Doyle.  Now, I had this bizarre idea that these guys were supposed to be poor, and all their money comes from what's donated by the parish.  Thus when these people tell the rest of us that doing without is somehow good for us it makes my blood boil - what do they know about real poverty? -somebody will always go without in order to keep them fed and watered.  Grr! 

It's like when people tell me how wonderful the simple life is here in France for the farming families round here who are content to live in houses which are falling apart around them.  Of course, their quality of life is so much better than it is for those who live in warmth and comfort and don't need to worry about where the next meal is coming from, isn't it?