Trapped

CfvzLtHWEAANumU.jpg-largeSome of you have been cruelly satirising Charles Moore’s plaintive plea from the very wealthy for a bit more understanding. They have ghettoes too you know. Can you imagine the pain of having to eat every day at the Goring Hotel in Belgravia?

Who will think of Binky?

This week it’s all gone a bit Gordon Gekko but we liked the interjection of Alan Duncan, a sort of Alan B’Stard on acid. Yesterday he spurted: “May I support the Prime Minister in fending off those who are attacking him, particularly in thinking of this place, because if he doesn’t, we risk seeing a House of Commons which is stuffed full of low-achievers who hate enterprise, hate people who look after their own family and know absolutely nothing about the outside world.”

That outside world bit was a bit rich wasn’t it? Anyway we’re loving this new meme it’s kicked off with people suggesting just what sort of low-life, do-nothing peasants he might have had in mind. Here’s a quick list to get you started:

Teachers
Nurses
The police
Firefighters
Soldiers
Jesus
Ghandi
Mozart
van Gogh
Rembrandt

‘Orrible enterprise-hating low-achievers all of them!

Comments (25)

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  1. Darby O'Gill says:

    What about that Buddha guy? He just sat about all day leg-crossed doing he-haw. And as for that Nelson Mandela, what can you say. Talk about benefit cheats. The State provided him with free accommodation and food for nearly thirty years, and he never had a proper job.

    1. Good shout Darby – yeah Nelson and Buddha – total losers.

  2. Jamie says:

    Good article, made me laugh.

  3. Hugh Kirk says:

    I could be considered for inclusion on the list of heros.

  4. Fiona says:

    If people on the minimum wage are able through hard work and effective money management to bring up decent, responsible and achieving families I think they have proved that they are better qualified to run the country than the over privileged, self centred amoral ones that are currently in power.

  5. richard harris says:

    Low achievers=”the little people”=the people who pay taxes so that high achievers…can “achieve” virtually tax free.

    “…people who look after their own family” aka carers, those low achievers. Not a concept altogether too familiar to those “high achievers” who convenently shuffle their children off to boarding school and their elderly into care homes, lest they interfere and soil gilded “achievement”.

    Little Alan Duncan = The oil skick’s oil slick.

  6. bringiton says:

    You can tell a Westminster election is not in the offing when the Tories are berating the low lives whom they rely on to elect them to office and a lifestyle to which they are accustomed.
    Thatcher managed to con a significant number of low lives into believing that the good life was achievable for them if they embraced her political dogma but all that has happened is the high born sucking even more out of them.
    The nasty party has always been nasty but is now so arrogant that they don’t care if this is seen openly.

  7. Jac Gallacher says:

    This country has been running on the taxes of those ‘low achievers’ they think so little of. Just imagine if everyone paid tax instead of evading, things could be very different

    1. impossiblysmoothcobra says:

      “This country has been running on the taxes of those ‘low achievers’ they think so little of”.

      It really hasn’t / isn’t. Do you really, really believe this nonsense?

      The top 1% of earners pay about a third of all the Income Tax collected. The top 25% of earners pay about 75% of all Income Tax collected.

      If you are a public sector worker, even if you facilitate the productivity of others (teacher, nurse, Doctor** etc.) then at best your contribution is a net zero or you are a net beneficiary.

      That’s fine btw; I’m merely pointing out where the money that actually pays for public services and the nice things you expect to be provided universally and free at the point of delivery in perpetuity actually comes from.

      (** why are Doctors never in these lists; just the nurses? Or do Socialists consider Doctors to be ‘paid too much’ whose rewards are ‘excessive’ and are ‘undeserving’ of their ‘wealth’ – ? )

      “Just imagine if everyone paid tax instead of evading”

      Are you implying that the majority, or nearly everyone, is involved in tax evasion? You seem very confused.

      Almost everyone is “paying tax” by which I think you mean paying the tax they are legally required to pay. The amount of actual tax Evasion in the grand scheme of things, comparative to total tax take, is really very small.

      The UK’s tax gap is comparable to other similar European states.

      You have no excuse for your ignorance. Oh, of course, you do – the “Edukayshun” you received in a Scottish “School”.

      1. bigal says:

        Phew! Thank goodness the impossibly smooth cobra is on hand to clear everything up.
        Tax avoidance is not a problem.
        Scottish ” schools” are, it appears, not proper schools. In fairness, a lot of them do seem to be broken.
        Perhaps you’d care to expand on that?

        …….. this should be good.

        1. impossiblysmoothcobra says:

          “Phew! Thank goodness the impossibly smooth cobra is on hand to clear everything up.”

          – You’re welcome.

          “Tax avoidance is not a problem.”

          It isn’t. (see below)

          “In fairness, a lot of them do seem to be broken. Perhaps you’d care to expand on that?”
          Would I? Well, on the face of it, it seems to be a function of people in Scotland’s inability to build things properly, and then maintain things properly. You seem to have terrible trouble in this area.

          First you were incapable of building a single Tram line properly. Here in Greater Manchester, we have recently completed a hugely successful expansion of our Tram system many times larger than the single line you struggled to pull together, ahead of time and under-budget. I think yours cost about three times as much as it should have?

          Then you had that big road bridge falling down, because you didn’t maintain it properly.

          Now some of your schools are falling down, because you couldn’t build them properly or maintain them properly either.

          I think you are at best confused but more likely just uninformed, about the difference between Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion.

          There is no “problem” with Tax Avoidance – which is Legal. I myself am a Tax Avoider – I have a full ISA which has a favourable tax status.

          Tax Evasion is not legal. Notably, the UK Governments between 1997 and 2010, which Scottish voters voted for, consistently – did very little about Tax Evasion. The previous Con/Lib Coalition and current Conservative government have done far more to reduced Tax Evasion, resulting in an increased tax take and a reduced tax gap.

          The reality is that because of the EU and Freedom of Establishment, various international tax treaties etc, then there is a limit to what any UK Government could do on Tax Evasion, but there you go; you do the best you can.

          (An iScotland would have no more or less power; indeed probably less power and influence to ‘make sure’ the likes of Amazon, Google etc. ‘pay their fair share’ or ‘pay more’ tax)

          Of course you are very uninformed; likely a function of Scotland’s poor and declining standards in Primary and Secondary Edukayshun.

          Oh, and I’m Scottish btw, before you get going with your Separatist Abuse. Neither am I interested in the Labour Party.

          1. barakabe says:

            “Oh, and I’m Scottish btw, before you get going with your Separatist Abuse.” Why the aggression man? After you, like some ClassA hypocrite spout the following bigoted rant: “it seems to be a function of people in Scotland’s inability to build things properly, and then maintain things properly”. What’s with the harsh attitude? “it seems to be a function of people in Scotland’s inability to build things properly, and then maintain things properly”. And you claim to be Scottish? I’ll take your word for that will I? Because you’re grasp of reality and truth seem so reliable. Not.
            Jeez you display a bewildering panoply of defence mechanisms it’s hard to know where to begin. Did Freud call it Parapraxis. You accuse others of what you yourself are guilty of- Projection. Tick. “I am Scottish”- Rationalization. Tick. Paranoia- projected aggression. Tick. Do you feel an invidious sense of shame? Does me asking you this make you feel anxious? Do you have dreadful feelings of inferiority and insignificance? I know and everyone else knows that you are riddled with conflicting low self-esteem and over-compensation; hence the “superior tone” of the commonplace Tory type. Indeed the big stink of conventionalism and the Babbit act emanating from your wee post tells me you’re a prototypical conservative: the rigid stereotyping, conventionalized mentation, cynical view of humanity, harsh attitude to others, the deep insecurity masquerading as over-compensation, justifications of inequality blah blah blah…such a tedious and obvious list. It’s just a pity you are transparent to everyone but yourself. I believe you have to let go of some of that historical anger: the past is the past- let go and embrace freedom. Life can be good. Dear dear…”impossiblysmoothcobra”- what a Freudian slippage that is. Develop some self-awareness. The bourgeois is the average man who does not accept to remain such, and who, lacking the strength sufficient for the conquest of essential values—those of the spirit—opts for material ones, for appearances. As Kierkegaard said:

            “the petty bourgeois is spiritless[…] Devoid of imagination, as the petty bourgeois always is, he lives within a certain orbit of trivial experiences as to how things come about, what is possible, what usually happens.”

            Oh and by the way some educational material for you to balance your argument:

            http://www.theweek.co.uk/62461/which-costs-more-benefit-fraud-or-tax-avoidance

            http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jun/16/british-public-wrong-rich-poor-tax-research

            “The poorest 10% of households pay eight percentage points more of their income in all taxes than the richest – 43% compared to 35%, according to a report from the Equality Trust.”

          2. John Page says:

            Barakabe
            This cobra guy has been on Bella as a troll for the last couple of years under a string of odd names (I suspect he also does a two hander with different names at the same time……..I think he might be Disgusted of TW………I might be wrong)
            I think it best to just ignore him………my only experience of this behaviour was in my working life before I retired and had to deal with someone with narcissistic personality disorder. They are often bright and well informed (but not as bright as they think) and get their kicks from belittling people less able than they perceive themselves to be, often viciously. There is unfortunately no real therapy for this condition as talking therapy only feeds the beast of their perceived uniqueness often around their emotional life as young children. I coped with my colleague by avoiding/ignoring him……..it drove him up the wall……
            Cobra clearly has major issues and parades regularly them on Bella. Best to show compassion by not feeding his problem……..hopefully he himself will learn some compassion in his life before misfortune befalls him…….one may be bright and in a well paid job but we are all only two events away from the food bank
            Thank you
            John Page

          3. Alan Stewart says:

            Dick.

          4. bigal says:

            There doesn’t seem much point in attempting to conduct an intelligent debate with someone who informs me that I’m uninformed, or that claims that tax AVOIDANCE ( see, …. I’m still not confused) is morally acceptable on the basis that they are engaged in it.

  8. Angus Skye says:

    By “outside world” Mr Duncan was, of course, referring to Panama, the Cayman Islands, British Virgin Islands and a few other places like them.

  9. Ken Guthrie says:

    Wasn’t it American tax cheat Leona Helmsley who said “taxes are for the litle people”. Maybe Helmsley was simply Charles Moore in a gaudy dress.

  10. Ken Guthrie says:

    That should read “little”. Sorry.

  11. w.b.robertson says:

    why the bashing of our wonderful school system? If classroom standards are poor and the teachers are all suffering stress, perhaps it is because they don`t enjoy long enough holidays!!!

  12. Disgusted Of Tunbridge Wells says:

    Like it or not, Alan Duncan had a bit of a point. I’ve read more than enough comment across various platforms from people who instinctively assume that those earning more than the average salary are immoral tax dodgers, who can afford to be hit with vastly higher taxation because they are “rich”. Rich appears to be anyone earning more than the person casting stones.

  13. Stu Mac says:

    http://www.theguardian.com/money/2014/jun/16/british-public-wrong-rich-poor-tax-research

    Another often ignored point about taxation is that wealth is distributed in an unequal way – i.e. not by how much value the person gives to society but by the control they have of how wealth is distributed, thus bankers and top management are given bonuses and salaries decided by their peers (and they in return decide others earnings) and this often has nothing to do with value given – thus bonuses often seen for failures. Tax to spend on things like health, education and recreation for the many is a way of counterbalancing this.

    Another point. Taxation breaks are sometimes used to affect behaviour, e.g. encourage savings or investment in the economy and so forth. A lot of tax avoidance allowed merely lets money be removed from the country’s economy and doesn’t help: it’s merely a way of grabbing more for yourself at the expense of others and there is so much of it because the politicians like their tax breaks too.

  14. Jac Gallacher says:

    Well who would have guessed the snake man, who commented above, was a tax evader.

    1. Jac Gallacher says:

      Sorry I meant tax avoider

  15. Jac Gallacher says:

    Impossibly smooth cobra You seem to think you know what standard of education I have and even where I was educated. And that folk will assume you are English and have a problem with that, with no basis to any of these assumptions. i think we should call tax avoidance what it really is. It’s legalised tax evasion for the wealthy. I know quite a few folk in the lower tax brackets who could do with some tax avoidance to help them through their month not just to top up their savings.

  16. Ian Kirkwood says:

    It is time for Westminster to shed stone age fiscal thinking. That our historical political leaders invented the scheme – arbitrary taxation – that is the repressor paramount of enterprise, should reveal the hypocrisy of the landowning incumbents of government who continue to insist that ‘progressive’ taxation is the way to fund public services.

    That the alternative revenue system, AGR (Annual Ground Rent) is little known, is attributable to the same interest group. The group for whom pocketing the increasing values of the sites they own as free capital gains is the primary objective. At any cost.

    What is wrong with that?

    Site values are derived from i) natural resources and ii) Public investments (our taxes) in amenities. In the property market we bid for monopoly use of the amenities attached to sites. Society should collect the value it has created (costs owners nothing) and abandon the landlords’ tax inventions that repress enterprise. There is no need to repress enterprise with tax. But that is the preferred recipe for parties that think that it fine to fro their followers to pocket the public purse in the form of free capital gains generated by the investments of society.

    To be clear, Parliament is stuffed with low achievers who choose to repress enterprise by supporting taxation in favour of AGR (Annual Ground Rent).

    See for example
    https://www.facebook.com/AGRforScotland/photos/a.1592027801115366.1073741828.1573184836332996/1592037974447682/?type=3&theater

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