Government hypocrisy

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webberg
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Government hypocrisy

Post by webberg »

Earlier this year we saw a public enquiry launched into Press behaviour following the shocking actions of certain tabloid newspapers in accessing the voice messages of public figures and using the results to wite invasive and upsetting stories. A heinous practice, illegal and morally repugnant (to use a popular phrase right now).

The Government announced an enquiry and made the remit so wide that it spreads beyond the boundaries of the original mischief and is now a look into the practices of the Press generally.

A very neat way for the Government to exercise censorship and control of what is written about them.

Now we have scandals involving the BBC. Basically some high profile names of the past have been accused of paedophilia. The BBC has three internal enquiries going. The Welsh Parliament has ordered an enquiry into a previous enquiry (but not into claims of abuse). There are at least three other enquiries going on in the NHS, Local Authorities etc.

What we'll have a confusing and disjointed shambles of a result with no remedial actions and little in the way fo applying lessons from the past.

The Government should have one over riding enquiry pulling all the strands together. However it suits them to have the BBC impale itself on the past and so reduce the credibility of that organisation whihc has in the past exposed MP's for criminal actions. Strange that?

Finally, there is a hysteria int he Press and Parliament about taxation. The debate is not about illegality but how much tax it is "morally correct" to pay. Just yesterday we saw a committee of MP's lining up to scald and upbraid Starbucks, Google, Amazon about how little tax they pay. The rhetoric is truely shocking in that basic facts are ignored for the sake of getting on the news programmes.

Thsi is coming from a bunch of people who have systemically cheated theri opwn expenses systme for decades, get tax releif on items that Joe Public cannot, get massive tax free expenses and then use Parliamentary Privilige to protect their rotten hides

Is it just mne or are others sickened by such a dispklay of self interest and contempt for the people who vote for them?
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strider77
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Re: Government hypocrisy

Post by strider77 »

webebrg wrote :-Is it just mne or are others sickened by such a dispklay of self interest and contempt for the people who vote for them?
No it is most definitely not just you Graham :D

It is beyond belief, do they think we are all simpletons like the chap who does not know what Magna Carta means or that Rule Britannia was written by an old Etonian !!!!

Its called deflecting and all politicians seem to do it :roll:

Nicely put by the way :wink:
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JonathanA
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Re: Government hypocrisy

Post by JonathanA »

webberg wrote:Finally, there is a hysteria int he Press and Parliament about taxation. The debate is not about illegality but how much tax it is "morally correct" to pay. Just yesterday we saw a committee of MP's lining up to scald and upbraid Starbucks, Google, Amazon about how little tax they pay. The rhetoric is truely shocking in that basic facts are ignored for the sake of getting on the news programmes.
Agreed. Margaret 'Screech' Hodge should be utterly ashamed of herself for her performance at the 'enquiry' yesterday.

Leaving the contentious nature of the 'moral obligation to pay tax' debate to one side; let's work to discourage foreign companies from investing in businesses in Britain that create jobs for us and pay us wages (on which we do pay tax), that we can go out and spend on things (and pay VAT) or save (and pay tax on the interest we earn). :roll:
JonathanA | more pedalling than pulling at the moment
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