Interesting times in the world of politics at the moment. Those of us who protest the injustice of tax evasion and avoidance seem to have found ourselves with a most unlikely ally in the proprietor of The Sun and The Times, namely one Mr Rupert Murdoch. Whilst he doubtless expects to curry no favour with those of us who expect tax dodgers to pay up, through News International, the man from the land down under is out for revenge.
The Murdochs are big corporate players, unused to being humiliated at the hands of politicians they used to manipulate like marionettes. So often courted by successive Prime Ministers in their quests for high office, Murdoch, summoned to the Leveson Inquiry, was abandoned by his puppets to answer questions about his empire, family members and employees culminating in a private meeting with the family of Milly Dowler and a statement of regret read out in front of the press. Mr Murdoch has chosen his weapon well, tax avoidance will have the stamina of M.P's expenses thrice over and his quarry are upto their necks in it. Pawn Jimmy Carr found himself in the limelight as Murdoch's opening move. David Cameron, maybe thinking he was one step ahead of RM looked to block condemning the comedian's apparent greed. In The Sun an editorial piece pointed the finger of blame at politicians unwilling to address the issue and so the clocks are running. Already the Prime Minister has, having declared tax avoidance schemes morally reprehensible, faltered having back tracked on his initial call for the tax affairs of his ministers to be made public. A round the world cruise, let alone parliament's summer holidays won't be long enough for this one to die down.
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