Guido’s highest traffic days of the year, indeed ever, came in November when this blog revealed how Philip Schofield accidentally flashed the names of five alleged Tory paedophiles live on air during an interview with the Prime Minister. Schofield’s Google-based investigative journalism made the front pages for weeks, eventually costing ITV some £125,000. Pesky bloggers, eh…
Back in February Guido got wind of a potentially huge story The Oldie were about to run: that the BBC would soon become engulfed in an explosive Jimmy Savile paedophile cover-up scandal – we were the first to publish the story before even The Oldie hit the newsstands and long before ITV. Eight months later the full extent of Savile’s crimes became clear, but it was Newsnight’s shambolic naming of the innocent Lord McAlpine that did for the BBC. George Entwistle’s 54-day stint as Director General was over before he could count his £450,000 pay-off, Chris Patten had a pop at MediaGuido for exposing his two-day weeks, and the pressure tolled as the Beeb faced the most serious crisis since Gilligan. McAlpine wasn’t finished either, as Sally and friends soon found out…
As the arrests added up, Guido scooped every media organisation to reveal earlier this month that Max Clifford had been nicked by the cops investigating Savile. Max might be regretting one or two things he wrote in his book, but if self-appointed nonce catcher general Tom Watson is anything to go by he won’t be the last to hear a knock on the door. This story will run and run well into 2013…
Nigel Farage explains his popularity
“… the entire political class is held in contempt. I am just lucky to be held in less contempt than the rest of them.”
Jean Michel Jarre, the only French global rock star, has been into Downing Street to discuss moving to London to escape Francois Hollande’s tax hikes. The French President wants confiscatory 75% tax rates for high earners.
In secrecy Jarre recently visited Number 10 to discuss his “defection”. The news that Downing Street is involved in discussions with another high profile tax exile from France will cause outrage in the Elysee Palace. Gerard Depardieu’s planned flight from Paris to a small village less than half a mile across the Belgian border caused an uproar and French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault went so far as to call him “pathetic.”
Depardieu countered that “I am leaving because you believe that success, creation, talent, anything different must be sanctioned”. Cinema legends such as Brigitte Bardot and Catherine Denueve quickly jumped in with statements of support for Depardieu. The rock star’s move comes shortly after Bernard Arnault, CEO of luxury giant LVMH and France’s richest man, national hero Johnny Hallyday and actor Alain Delon have also left France for tax reasons. London estate agents report French investment bankers, private equity financiers and high paid entrepreneurs making inquiries.
When Hollande announced his 75% tax rate plan Cameron joked that he would “roll out the red carpet” for French tax exiles to the expressed annoyance of the Elysee Palace. French ministers widely criticised Cameron. The news that it was not mere rhetoric and Downing Street would literally welcome French rock star tax exiles onto the red carpet at No. 10 will infuriate President Hollande…
UPDATE: Downing Street were at lunchtime knocking down this story, by late afternoon they changed their synthesiser tune and said Jarre was indeed in talks to move his technology company to the government sponsored Tech City in London. Where the taxes are lower…
Guido’s Downing Street source says “He’s been into No. 10 to talk to us about defection – it’s like a crappy old spy movie…” The channel replacing the Berlin Wall, with French capitalists fleeing socialist France for freedom…
