Coughs and Splutters

[steepholm]

Jim Naughtie's unwitting spoonerism over Jeremy Hunt the Culture Secretary was the most memorable moment on this morning's Today. Its coincidence with a coughing fit didn't help.

But the interview with Tom Harris MP brought up more bile than phlegm. He spent the entire time defending Philip Green's siphoning off hundreds of millions of pounds into a nominal account held by his wife in Monaco, thereby avoiding tax, and condemning those who have had the chutzpah to object to it. Amazingly, this capitalist sycophant does not sit for a Tory shire, but is Labour MP for Glasgow South. Surely some mistake?

[Edited to provide working links. Also, deliciously, here is Andrew Marr discussing what happened in the context of a discussion of Freudian slips, and somehow managing to repeat it.]

Comments

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Andy Marr's repetition is perhaps even funnier:
http://www.cartwheelcottage.plus.com/jeremy_hunt3.mp3

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

That link didn't work for me for some reason - but I've updated the entry to take about of Marr's gaffe too.

[veronica-milvus.livejournal.com]

Philip Green is not breaking any law, and under those conditions which of us would not try to minimise our tax liability? I guess what I am saying is that if we want to minimise this kind of behaviour we need to change the rules on tax breaks for foreign residents, or on shifting earnings from a business exec to their spouse.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

No, he's not breaking any law, and I don't think anyone is claiming that he is. On the other hand, he's behaving in a quite immoral way - and there's nothing wrong with people pointing that out and objecting to it. I don't accept that anyone in his position would do the same (which Harris was also claiming). While not a huge fan of of multi-millionaires as a group, I'm happy to say that some of them have a conscience and a degree of self-respect, and don't go to sordid lengths to avoid paying their fair share. Some are even philanthropists! "Everybody does it" was never much of an excuse for behaving selfishly, but in this case it's not even true.

Of course, you're right that the rules on tax are the cause of the conditions that allow Mr Green's cupidity to run unchecked. Ideally we'd look to government to address the situation. But Harris admitted, when pressed, that neither he personally nor his party during its thirteen years in power had done anything about it, and I don't see the Tories supplying that omission now either. If they do it will because of these protests, not in spite of them.

[gillo]

I felt for Jim Naughtie, but I screamed with laughter too, to the point that my husband worried I was in distress. Poor man - he takes language so seriously too.

Is there, seriously, any defence possible for Philip Green? And it just shows how much all MPs have bought into the tax-dodging culture of the very, very rich. :-(

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Happy birthday, by the way!

[gillo]

Thank you. I feel very old but am determined not to grow up!