“We all owe any success we have had in our acting careers, to varying degrees, to films supported by the UK Film Council” screamed Bill Nighy in his last doomed toe-dip into the political arena. Since then he’s become the frontman for the cute, if incorrectly named, “Robin Hood Tax” campaign that would surrender the City of London to the sinking European ship. Old Bill clearly hasn’t taken the time to think these two campaigns through though…
The Film Council lobbied the government for tax breaks and special favours, yet this seems to be fine as long as Bill can “owe any success” to it. He even appeared in films shot in the Isle of Man for tax reasons – such as Wild Target. If Nighy wants a unilateral financial tax, Guido wants a unilateral Film Transaction Tax from the man himself. Perhaps “a tiny tax” on every single box-office and DVD sale?
Silvio Berlusconi has taken to Facebook to deny rumours that he is resigning. Silvio will however be very disappointed that former TV presenter Gabriella Carlucci is resiging from his party to go over to the Christian Democrats. So sadly he won’t be able to use Facebook to poke her…
Italian bonds are falling faster than a bunga-bunga girl’s knickers.
Halloween may have been last week, but take Danny Alexander’s proposed £40bn €uro/IMF splurge and divide it by the UK’s population: £666 per head. A foreboding premonition for George if ever there was one. As Kelvin MacKenzie said on the Daily Politics: “If they want to become the most unpopular government in history…”
Red Ed has made an overture to the protesters at St Paul’s, four weeks late to the prom. Some of his advisers still rooted in the reality based community have been struggling to stop Ed leaping over this latest electoral cliff, but they seem to have lost the battle. One said last week: “Not since his brother David was snapped holding a banana has a dafter Miliband photo opportunity been suggested.” It’s not very hard to see why they would be concerned: multi-millionaire Ed, who maintained his family’s wealth through some colourful inheritance arrangements, despite being on an income of £139,355 plus expenses, is in 1% denial. Meanwhile occupiers have been arrested for dealing crack and St Paul’s are outraged at a “dirty protest” defecation on their steps. Just have a look at Red Ed’s new friends:
Also jumping on the bandwagon is the privately educated son of a wealthy businessman Chuka Umunna, who will be speaking for the opposition today in response to a report published by the dwindling campers. The darling of the new Labour left will be facing some tough questions if he actually goes down to the site. Tax avoidance is the number one issue to this “movement” and Umunna’s Teflon image took a pounding this weekend. He made a name for himself in February with a punchy attack on Barclay’s Bob Diamond at the Treasury Select Committee on the subject of tax havens, forcing the banking baddie to admit that he didn’t actually know how many offshore subsidiaries his organisation had. However, in that 1% kinda way, Chuka has his own offshore dealings to thank for those sharp suits:
“A Labour frontbencher who has led the attacks on ‘tax avoiders’ in the City is at the centre of controversy after it was revealed his £1 million family home was funded from a tax haven. Land Registry documents reveal the house’s complicated ownership structure. Its purchase was funded by Vona Limited, a company registered in Jersey, and in turn owned by companies run by the RBC Trust Company. RBC, also based on the Channel Island, boasts it is one of the ‘top ten’ largest wealth managers in the world, offering services to ‘high net worth clients’ including ‘planning for and mitigating income, capital gains or inheritance taxes’. A tax expert said: ‘These trusts can cost thousands to run. I can’t think of any reason to do that other than to reduce a tax bill.’”
One thing Chuka won’t be repeating when he leads the charge for Labour today is an off-the-cuff quote he once gave the Standard: “I’m middle class. My struggle, in some senses, is: what struggle?” Quite…
UPDATE: Does Ed agree with his new friends that poppy sellers are “baby killers”?
Three hours after anyone first noticed the howler in the Indy’s leader this morning, it still hasn’t been changed in the online version:
“Leading article: Miliband hits right note on inequality
Monday, 07 November 2011It is always refreshing when party leaders seem to really listen to voices coming from outside their own camp. That is why David Miliband should be commended for the warm words he has given in today’s interview with this newspaper concerning the protest outside St Paul’s.”
Over a year into his leadership, and on a day he has a full interview in the same paper, and still Red Ed can’t escape from the shadow…
IMF Could Get £40 Billion Bailout from UK – Danny Alexander
