Last year, the Mets were forced into the embarrassing position of having to borrow twenty-five million from Major League Baseball, to tide them over for theyear.
Media reports have suggested that ministers could extend a short-term 150m euros loan to Alitalia while they examine the case for further funding to tidethe airline over for a year.
Even then it is also highly likely it becomes a slimmed down beast - with the Treasury simply handing departments one year spending chits to tide them over to the other side of an election.
At the time of our chat earlier this year, Tice was still looking for work and had been in the job market for over a year, using freelance consulting work to tide him over.