I'm not usually much of a fan of Henry Porter but this is too appropriate to ignore:
It is now time for HMG to go after Murdoch and perhaps this is the moment to investigate the complex web of tax havens and offshore accounts that News International has used to avoid paying full tax in the past. I'd bet a month's salary that while NI papers have been urging austerity measures on the UK, the company has used every trick in the book to avoid its proper tax burden.
He's right.
But remember to add in Microsoft, Apple, Google, Cisco, big pharma, the extractive industries in general and many more whilst about it. Oh, and perhaps the Telegraph needs a look.
The corrosiveness of neoliberalism and the structures it has used to transfer resources to wealth is not limited to Murdoch's empire (although it is a prime example). We have to be aware that this is undermining the whole structure of society - not just one newspaper and one company.
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Porter’s article was excellent and hopefully this is a defining moment in our democracy when the power of Murdoch’s press empire is finally broken. I really hope that people will cease to buy his other titles and that some shareholders will sell their shares and damage the brand beyond recognition. It would seem that veiled threats have been made to Ed Miliband to back off his calls for Brookes to resign. If this is true this is surely gross intimidation and the police should investigate. If legally possible we should refuse entry to both Murdochs in the future as I understand that neither has a UK passport but I doubt that the Government has the courage to do this. There is no doubt that Cameron and for that matter Osborne are in deep trouble about their association with News International and Coulson. By all means remain on reasonable terms with the media, but holders of major offices of state should keep their distance from powerful forces otherwise they can be compromised when allegations of corruption surface.
The irony is that when society comes down the companies causing the problem will come down with it.
BB
But you’ve not mentioned The Guardian. Why am I not surprised?
Because it would be pretty stupid to suggest investigating something known about – which I have made clear I do not condone
About as stupid to suggest it as pointing it out, I’d say
i notice you havent included the guardian in your list?
Isn’t investigation by definition to discover things which aren’t currently known about?
No, an investigation is also warranted to uncover facts which may help prosecution build a case…
Yes, but there’s no case for the Guardian to answer, and we know it…
But I reiterate – their use of a tax haven was a mistake
Why Apple – are they avoiding UK tax?
Pretty much the same was said when hundreds of mps’ were found to be expense-fiddlers.
Now the token few have been “punished”, the rest of the thieves are still thieving, but now with gov credit cards.
Not much is printed about that now.
I’ll wait for NI to be declared “unfit” to buy the remainder of BskyB (although if they are declared unfit then that must mean they are unfit to own any shares in BskyB at all, surely ?)
Personally, I reckon it’ll all blow-over and back to business as usual (subversion, corruption, lying and thieving)
Yesterdays news.
Don’t forget: “they” still have loads of muck on our masters to reveal if they don’t get what they want.
I’m sure I’ve heard periodically that there’s been a ‘task force’ investigating NI’s web of companies with a view to getting the tax that’s owed. Or did I dream it?