Are We Ruled By The Criminally Insane?

Jimmy Carr's action in dodging tax was "immoral" according to David Cameron. But tax dodging by Sir Phillip Green, Lord Ashcroft and David Cameron's own father, Ian, is not. Why? Its a matter of class apparently. Not the old-fashioned version of class mind, but a new measure that takes into consideration the amount of money an individual has and how much influence he or she can wield. Jimmy Carr, with a mere £3 million, doesn't qualify, though he would if he was a Tory cabinet minister. Phillip Green and Lord Ashcroft do qualify because they are obsecenely wealthy and "donate" to the Tory party. David Cameron and his Dad do because he's the Prime Minister and his Dad is related to him. You and I are not because we're poor and are scum in any case, not having gone to the "right" school, the "right" university or knowing the "right" people. So you can be honest and hard-working but still be regarded as scum, or you can be dishonest and bone-idle but still be regarded as too important to tax. They exert influence because they are rich and they are rich because its all they know. They collect money like some people collect stamps or cats or Capo di Monte but, instead of being regarded as slightly mad, they get their picture on the cover of "Life" magazine. To maintain their wealth at levels far beyond anything they could possibly need, they will committ any act of immorality - cheat, lie and steal - with a dedication that is clearly unbalanced. They are criminal and they are insane and they are in charge of the world. No wonder we're in the mess we're in.

Cameron Gets Sanctimonious.

Like many good comedians Jimmy Carr is often just a little bit waspish. His famous joke about Barclays Bank and tax avoidance was funny because it was cutting and it was true. Lets hope he can handle the jibes of his fellow comedians over his tax arrangements that are now bound to come. For his part Mr.Carr has been quite straightforward explaining, without a blush, that he only pays the tax he has to. No false morality, no social conscience - its all about the money and nothing else. Hardly surprising then that he has provoked a great deal of outrage in the country when the disabled are being left destitute to assuage the financial markets. And no one is more outraged than David Cameron who has described Mr.Carr's tax arrangements as "morally wrong." No argument there but it begs two rather interesting questions. First, if dodging tax is "morally wrong" why has his government done absolutely nothing to close the loopholes that allow the wealthy to do it on a daily basis? Indeed why was David Cameron, only yesterday, gloating over the French millionaires he expects to quit France soon to come and live in tax haven Britain? Then there's the question of his own father who has made dodging paying tax into an artform. Is David Cameron suggesting that his own father, Ian Cameron, was "morally wrong?" And, if so, what does that say about the Prime Minister himself who quite happily pocketed the money his father left him in his will? Predictably enough Downing Street issued a statement that said it did not want to comment on what was a private matter for the Cameron family. I'll bet they don't. The hypocrisy of David Cameron is now well known and well understood, while his greed and duplicity are fast becoming plain. He and his rich mates are not the solution to our problems, they are the problem and the sooner he and his fellow spivs are kicked out of office the better.