Dodgy Dave the bully boy and his braying donkeys Op-ed: Warning-This report may not pull its verbal punches. UK PM David Cameron opted to stick two fingers up to the opposition in the Commons during PMQs Wednesday. He did not of course do so literally. Lacking the balls of veteran Labour MP Dennis Skinner who called Cameron Dodgy Dave in the Commons last week, and not for the first time, Cameron utilised all his slimy cunning to attack and undermine democracy. Knowing that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will not rise to the bait Cameron continues to try a range of attacks aimed to hit hard. He is sadly helped along by those within the Labour party who feed the mainstream media and perhaps even the Tories a diet of first-class bullshit. The over-funded Tory spin machine scours the internet and media for ammunition to use against Mr Corbyn. Wednesday Cameron decided to weigh in to who feeds members at a Labour party conference. Why this should concern the Tories who knows. Perhaps after all the Tory hype about improving diets they really want us all to eat a diet of crap and be as unhealthy as possible? "This week Jeremy Corbyn has faced an MPs’ revolt over the Labour party’s decision to ban McDonald’s from having a stall at its party conference. A number of MPs have accused the Labour leader of snobbery, while Corbyn’s spokesman has had to admit that he does not know what the vegetarian Labour leader could even eat at the popular fast food chain." Spectator What a load of tosh. Perhaps Podgy Dave should ditch McDonalds and try a healthier option. But also today it was a racist attack levelled against London mayoral hopeful and Labour politician Sadiq Khan. House of Commons Speaker John Bercow was unable or unwilling to hold Cameron to account for his nasty slurs and innuendos but was happy to remove Skinner from the HoC for one day for calling Cameron Dodgy. It was amusing to watch Bercow last week pathetically shy away from uttering the word Dodgy instead asking Skinner to withdraw the word that started in D and ended in Y. It had all the hall marks of a public school come Whitehall farce. Still he did not have that problem this week as he simply chose to allow Cameron a field day in spite of protests from the opposition. According to the Guardian: "The prime minister criticised Labour’s candidate for London mayor for ‘sharing a platform with extremists’. David Cameron was met with cries of “racist” in the House of Commons as he joined attacks on Labour’s London mayoral candidate, Sadiq Khan, claiming he has shared a platform with extremists. The prime minister laid into Khan during prime minister’s questions, claiming the Labour candidate had nine times shared a platform with a known Islamist extremist called Sulaiman Ghani." Dodgy Dave's attack was of course bunkum. There are some nicely spun reports in Murdoch papers but they are short on truth. Londoner's get to vote on a new Mayor and candidates include George Galloway; you may not be aware of that fact as the MSM try to exclude Galloway. But if the Tories want to throw stones perhaps they should leave their glass houses. In February 2016 we posted a report titled "Zac Goldsmith non dom squirm Newsnight." "The Goldsmith's family office operates out of Geneva not London or even the UK" we reported. We added "I have always been tax resident in the UK," Goldsmith told Davis. "I have always paid full tax on my income in the UK since I've been paying tax since I was 18." "Let me just explain, my father died around 20 years ago. I became non-dom at age 20 or 21. Being non-dom allows you to make lifestyle choices to avoid paying tax." He added: "I've never been accused of not paying tax." He went on to say ""I have a huge family that covers every continent in the world, more or less. I am one of very many siblings and members of the family. My father was an international businessman. He established an overseas trust before he died. "I am a beneficiary of that trust. I have absolutely no control over it." He then added "What I do have control over is the income I get. And that income I get is subject to the full tax regime in the UK and has always has been." That interview however left me wondering if Goldsmith protested a little too much and just why he wanted to be the next mayor of London. If you watch PMQs you will know that silence and deference is shown to the SNP's Angus Robertson. Similarly others are afforded some respect. The sheer contempt Cameron saves to use on Jeremy Corbyn is there for all to see. But without support from his MPs Corbyn is pushed into the bull ring without a weapon. Still for me watching the civilised looking Labour party at PMQs as opposed to the Tories who go from resembling nodding dogs from the back of cars to braying donkeys from Disney's Pinocchio Labour win hands down. But of course many people will only get to see the highlights or is it lowlights of PMQs? What clips are aired on mainstream early evening news is selective. Tory House Speaker has had his day and some. It was Labour under Ed Miliband that saved his neck once before but who would oblige now? The obvious improvement when the House of Commons Deputy Speaker stands in is remarkable. He stands head and shoulders above Bercow and not just in feet and inches. Related reading: Mayfair Tax loophole debate lost to plot Another dodgy Conservative fund raising dinner Colorado river poisoned with mine sludge When if ever will DWP publish Hardship fund data
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Op-ed: If British PM David Cameron thought he had pulled a rabbit out of the hat last weekend when he published a summary of his tax affairs he is mistaken. At best he pulled out a poor imitation of his tax affairs. Following revelations that Cameron's father ran an off shore tax haven Cameron has experienced a bumpy week. A series of lies, half-truths and misleading information did nothing to satisfy his critics. Monday Cameron will address the Commons. If Cameron runs true to form it will be a well-crafted speech spinning information to within an inch of its very being. It will be high on dodgy figures and attacks across the Commons aimed at the Labour party but low on accountability and transparency. News Sunday that "HMRC chief was partner at law firm that acted for Cameron offshore fund" has left people wondering just how far the old boy network reaches. The well-funded Tory propaganda machine will have been working overtime to find any vague or real dodgy looking dealings that have roots in the Labour Party. Cameron will however find it difficult to find financial sleaze attached to Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn. Cameron may try to attack other political parties and their leaders but he may not. It is Labour that the Tories view as a real threat to their crippling policies and government. But when all is said and done Cameron is the Prime Minister of the UK and should be above suspicion. Tory bully boys will be out on force to bray like donkeys in support of Cameron. Every trick in the book will be used to try to undermine Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Sadly the Tories are predictable. But in the end further revelations that Cameron's mother gifted Dave and Sam Cam £200k in the hope that she lives more than seven years and so he pays no inheritance tax simply highlights we are far from 'all in this together'. Similarly Samantha Cameron has been attacked for allowing the taxpayer to pick up a £53,000 bill for her fashion adviser. Some in the media may have tried to defend Sam Cam but when her husband is part of a government trying to slash £30 a week from people with disabilities, money which in some cases is used to help them dress, she becomes fair game. The Tory government has stripped away Social Security trying to rebrand it as some sort of welfare hand out but it is not. We and our parents have paid for a range of benefits. If there is not enough money in the treasury to cover costs whose fault is that? The apple is not falling far from the tree on that question. Perhaps if money invested in off shore tax havens was actually putting some money into the treasury there would be money for all. But after all that is not the Tory way. Check back later after Cameron talks the talk. You may also like: The 1% hide their money offshore – then use it to corrupt our democracy Bungling tax boss slammed for 45-minute waiting times on HMRC phone lines George Osborne family business' £6m offshore deal |
British political scene
The next General Election in the UK may not be scheduled any time soon but the British political landscape is changing. With that in mind this blog will concentrate on the political scene but with a left wing perspective. Opinion pieces and news will bring you the stories that the MSM prefer to ignore. Archives
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