The Decadent Dictator Awards

THE DECADENT DICTATOR AWARDS THE DECADENT DICTATOR AWARDS SADDAM HUSSEIN DDA TASTELESS TAT AWARD Not a man known for restraint in ANY respect. Saddam furnished his many palaces with Western brands, and apparently enjoyed nothing more than sitting with his mistress knocking back Johnny Walker (the drink not the DJ) whilst listening to Frank Sinatra and watching torture videos (last bit doesn't quite fit but who are we to argue with historically recorded fact). Other highlights included his penchant for Cowboy Hats and Cuban Cigars. His family were also renowned lovers of chintz. His son Uday (a particularly unpleasant character in a family full of them) owned more than 1,000 luxury cars that were bought or taken whenever he fancied. He was a big football fan and imprisoned one of his players for losing a game (not something we'd get away with under FA rules). They bought what they wanted and stole the rest, but no longer thankfully. ENT DICTATOR AWARDS IMELDA MARCOS PDA SHOES AND DECADENCE AWARD One of the most formidable political wives of her time, Imeda Marcos was best known for decadence during her time as First Lady of the Philippines (1965 – 1986). She was particularly renowned to Western pundits for her shoe collection despite being a formidable character and (still active) politician in her own right. She had 2,700 pairs of shoes but that was just the start. Her favourite shopping haunts were New York and Rome (we get that) and indeed Copenhagen (not so sure) where she used to spend about $5 million per trip (that this is back when $5m was a lot of money). Occasionally she would pick up the building that housed the shop (she bought the Woolworth building in New York for $51 million) but she declined the Empire State Building ($750m), suggesting that would be over the top. CHANEL CADENT DICTATOR AWARDS ROBERT MUGABE FIRST CLASS TRAVEL AWARD Mr Mugabe continues to love splashing the cash that his country no longer has. Now well into his eighties, he continues to spend £2 million a month travelling around Asia and Africa with an entourage of 70. Presumably he is raising funds to continue to travel as his country is so poor with many on the brink of starvation. His glamorous wife Grace is not one to hold back either. The former secretary (in fairness) couldn't be categorised in the Imelda league, but she has apparently spent £2.5m in the last couple of years on shopping in the world's retail hotspots (that figure doesn't include travel). A highlight of indulgence afforded Grace is the mansion she built before her marriage to Robert which she called 'Gracelands' in honour of herself and her hero Elvis Presley. Elvis would no doubt be proud. When questioned on how she could wear such expensive shoes when he countrymen were starving Grace quite rightly pointed out "I have very narrow feet, so I wear only Ferragamo". Worth popping down to TK Maxx dear where you can get the best of both worlds. CLEA ADENT DICTATOR AWARDS KIM JONG-IL THE FOOD AND DRINK AWARD The recently departed great leader was well known for the finer things in life, which he could easily afford with his reputed $5 billion fortune (plus whatever else he required from his fellow countryman). It's widely reported that Kim Jong-il had several loves, perhaps first and foremost Hennessy cognac which he reputedly imported to the tune of $700,000 worth of stock per year. He was also a big fan of lobster and caviar, enjoyed racing cars and was a big fan of Hollywood movies such as Rambo and Godzilla. Such was his spending power that he once invited Eric Clapton to visit and play for him. Sadly Eric thought better of this and politely declined. Kim Jong-il was also a huge fan of cigarettes and loved a puff, but was forced to give up for health reasons. Having a 'moment' he decided that the rest of the nation should give up at the same time, effectively putting an end to cigarette-smoking in North Korea. DECADENT DICTATOR AWARDS NICOLAE CEAUSESCU DDA HOME BUILDING THE FLASH HARRY AWARD salary was reputed to be $3,000 dollars a year but to make it go an awful long way funding 15 palaces, collection, yachts, fine art and hundreds of tailor His official he seemed a huge car made suits. He also had thousands of homes demolished to make way for his flagship palace in Bucharest, which had over 1,000 rooms and nearly 500 chandeliers. His inspiration for what he called 'The People's House'? A visit to North Korea to see his chum Kim II-Sung in 1972. It took a while to get the funds and planning permission in place and by the time it was nearing completion in 1989, civil war broke out and Christmas Day Ceausescu was executed for genocide. Since then the People's House has been renamed the Palace of Parliament, and among its highlights have been Michael Jackson who declared I love Budapest from the balcony at which point he was forced to escape by helicopter. E TWITTER.COM/THERANKTANK RANK TVNK.COM www.THERANKTANK.COM ©TheRankTank.com Ltd 2012