Sep 232010
Not a day goes by that someone does not visit this site to read about my ongoing relationship with Bono.
I noted in that context that the First Post Daily had an interesting article on the man today, which concluded:
Bono should put his own money where his mouth is. He should pay tax in Ireland and be transparent about where ONE’s money is spent. Until then a line from U2′s song of the same name rings rather too true:
"Did I disappoint you?"
Frankly, yes.
I second that.
9 Responses to “Back to Bono”
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Hi Richard,
You know I don’t like hypocrits. Your viewpoint is different from mine, but I really don’t like people who say “do as I say, not as I do!”
http://www.irishcentral.com/ent/Bonos-clothing-brand-moves-manufacturing-to-China-102689319.html
Even Geldof has decided on capitalism rather than aid:
http://blogs.reuters.com/columns/2010/09/03/bob-geldofs-african-fund-shows-good-timing/
@Noel Scoper
What are you trying to say?
@Richard Murphy
Bono asks “us” (taxpayers) to write off Third World debt (while not paying tax to allow his home country to do so).
Geldoff says “give us the ****ing money” while being non-dom, having housing in trust and now using his name to profit from Africa.
Al Gore and others, flying round the world telling us we must not fly round the world.
Diane Abbot, campaigning against private schooling while sending her own children to a private school.
I personally have no issue with any of those things (the opposite I am sure of your politics, but this is a discussion) but I certainly believe such people shouldn’t lecture others on the left side of the discussion while doing the opposite themselves. It would be like you campaigning while TRUK being incorporated in the Cayman Islands!
As we had a series of music related posting last week, can I refer you to the ever-ironic Pet Shop Boys and the lyrics to one of the tracks from their superb 1990 album, Behaviour:
You live upon a stage, and everyone’s agreed
You’re the brightest hope by far that anyone can see
So when you take the limelight you can guarantee
You’re gaining fame and claiming credibility
Tell me baby are you gonna get high as a kite?
Tell me baby are you gonna let it happen every night
How can you expect to be taken seriously?
You live within the law, and everyone assumes
You must find this a bore, and try something new
You’re an intellectual giant, an authority
To preach and teach the whole world about ecology
Tell me baby are you gonna make any other claim?
Tell me baby are you gonna take any of the blame?
How can you expect to be taken seriously?
@Noel Scoper
Yeh, but when you guys preach cynical hypocrisy from behind a fa?ßade of secrecy it’s kind of easy to be pious, isn’t?
That’s your hypocisy
And it’s much, much more damaging
I utterly dislike Bono’s hypocrisy
But the libertarian right is far, far worse
Diane Abbott has not got “children”, she has one black son. Trying to do the best for her most precious concern when the local schools at the time were horrendous – thanks to a Tory govt – things aren’t quite as bad now after Labour investment – her position is not remotely comparable to Bono and Geldoff. Diane has commendable values and I have voted for her as leader mainly because of her unique stand against nuclear weapons.
@ Carol, why is there a need to point out the race of Diane Abbott’s child?
I have to echo Greg’s comments, I didn’t feel there was any requirement to bring the race of a child into this argument.
If Diane Abbott is rallying against private schools and is sending her child to one, I have to say that smells of rank hypocrisy whichever way you look at it.
Balls and Burnham both did not come out well in the MPs expenses exposure and the Milipedes were involved in a bit of shady inheritance tax avoidance. In the grand scheme of things I think Diane’s decision to go against her principles for the sake of her child is nothing compared to her unswerving support for the abolition of our nuclear deterrent. I could not vote for Balls, who I quite like, for this reason and only ticked AndyB second because of his support for land value tax.