Monday 9 February 2015

HSBC Tax Dodgers

Cameron could have a future writing satire.He doesn't have one as a politician!
Sometimes you wonder what satirists do for a living in these days of politicians, and the rest of the Establishment, satirising themselves.

I mean in the past you'd have expected a George Parr interview on the Rory Bremner Show, or some smart comment from a panellist on 'Have I Got News for You?', or 'The News Quiz'.

But how can you improve on the jokes these people make of themselves?
Labour's loan
Of course just as the Labour Party were chortling at the unfortunate revelation that the Swiss subsidiary of HSBC had been helping its customers to fiddle, and that the man who had been in charge of all this fiddling had been ennobled by Cameron and made a government minister... (you couldn't make this up), news broke suggesting that the Labour Party took out a loan of £2 million with a certain billionaire (we shall call him Richard Caring because that's his name), who banked with the company. (He was known to have withdrawn just over that sum in cash from the Geneva branch of HSBC only a matter of months before in 2006.) 
The Scottish Office leader and some random ned.
Incidentally the loan was to be free of interest until July 2010, after which it would accrue interest at a rate of 6.5%. So, as it apparently is not yet paid back, it looks like Labour may have a large interest bill to settle by September of this year when the whole sum is to be be returned. And I expect he'll want him money because Mr Caring has somewhat disingenuously transferred his affections to the Tory Party. I wonder where that will leave Blair who has been travelling the world, making millions, thanks to Mr Caring generosity, in his private plane.

You can add to that the titbit that a FoI request submitted by Alasdair Allan* has revealed that Jim Murphy claimed for 2 tins of Irn Bru on his parliamentary expenses. Clearly he could not be expected to be able to do his parliamentary duties without a quick gurgle of the drink that's made from Girders (or Gorders as I originally typed... Freudian error?).

And finally... for a belly aching laugh, the above mentioned Gadfly, Blair, has said that he will do whatever it takes to help Ed Miliband into 10 Downing Street. No really, he has.
Good place for  warmongering
 ex prime ministers who need to lie low.
Seriously Tony, if you want to help Ed, I'd suggest a few months' holiday in Antarctica...or maybe you could ask Richard Branson if he has any flights to the moon going any time soon...

* Thanks to Anon, below, for correcting my error that it was Guido that initiated the FoI request.

10 comments:

  1. Scot Goes Pop has a couple of comments from the good guy who made the FoI request. It wasn't Guido himself.

    You'd have thought Skeletor would have blagged a few crates for the free advertising. At least a handful of people saw him on his massive 100 clowms tour. Even more after the curious incident with the eggs.

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    1. Oh, thanks Anon. I heard it was Guido. He must have just made it public.

      Spud probably did get some free, but apparently he drinks the stuff like other MPs and Lords drink vintage champagne, so he must have needed more...

      I worry that with that much Irn Bru inside him he isn't the size of Eric Pickles. As my granny would say: He must have worms.

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    2. PS: I've corrected my mistake (with thanks to you).

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  2. I do not see why Mr Caring (surely an inappropriate name for one of the mega-rich) becoming a Tory should have any adverse consequences for Tony Blair's travel arrangements, given that Blair is a Tory in all but name.

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    1. Agreed. Mr Blair's admirers are of the super rich variety so, in his circle, travelling around in a luxury private jet and mixing with the super rich will be seen to be an advantage.

      I was just wondering how that lifestyle related to someone living in inner city slum housing. I'm thinking that Mr Blair might not be the best advertisement for a supposedly left of centre party in the run up to an election.

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    2. Well Tony was always a Tory so the fact that he is working for Mr Miliband not to get elected would be more true. Now I wonder which billionaire will pull Labour out of the mire they have got themselves in, somehow I cannot see many in the Unions being keen and as for members, well maybe Niko can get a loan for them on his pension.

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    3. Meant to say Tris and Munguin, you had me worried for a bit but glad to see you back on form, a very good presentation and off to recommend it on Google.

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    4. Worried Helena? Why ...what did we do?

      I read the other day that one of the union leaders was standing for the Green Party:

      http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/rmt-union-president-im-standing-8598307

      Labour and socialism are long since disassociated.

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  3. Tris

    You have to laugh or you would go mad in this country. McVie demonizing the unemployed and vulnerable in committee the other week while rich people are hiding their money, Murphy scamming expenses like there is no tomorrow, and no one held to account. If this stuff doesn't wake people up I will lose the will to live. We must live in one of the most morally corrupt countries on the planet.

    Bruce

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    1. I'd say that whilst it may not be the MOST corrupt society on Earth, it's not a hell of a long way from it.

      The Establishment, mainly based in London: royals, lords, MPs, press judiciary, military, church, press, BBB, City, all seem to be involved in a wide variety of dubious practices of different sorts.

      I automatically disbelieve every single thing I hear from them.

      I suspect that their days are numbered, because, somewhat foolishly, they have stuck their daft heads in the sand and refused to accept that the internet changed everything.

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