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

[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.

[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. :-(