Singer Bragg 'threatens' to stop paying taxes over bank bonuses

Paul_Davis_2

I don't agree at all - he's simply asking that Alasdair Darling limit bonuses to a maximum of 25K - still more than many peoples' yearly salary.

The worth of a banker? - I'm not including the retail sector - well it's the worth of a failed business sector that brought the economy to its knees and one that we'll all be paying for for decades.

And as for the 'spongers'....Jeremy Kyles' programme, if you can call it that, is hardly representative of the many, many people in danger of poverty and actually in poverty thanks to this government's policies of pumping money into the banks and ignoring manufacturing, farming and all the other industries that actually provide something useful.

kabayiri

sjaypink wrote: »

I can only have respect for him for actually thinking of something he can do...

....rather than anonymously moaning on internet forums about how everything is everyone elses fault

Won't work though of course :rolleyes:

Ahem.

I've offered to write my tax cheque on the bare buttocks of Cheryl Cole, thus incorporating social protest and modern pop star action in one.

Sadly, she seems less than keen. These modern pop stars, pah, no commitment.

Spartacus_Mills

Paul_Davis wrote: »

I don't agree at all - he's simply asking that Alasdair Darling limit bonuses to a maximum of 25K - still more than many peoples' yearly salary.

The worth of a banker? - I'm not including the retail sector - well it's the worth of a failed business sector that brought the economy to its knees and one that we'll all be paying for for decades.

And as for the 'spongers'....Jeremy Kyles' programme, if you can call it that, is hardly representative of the many, many people in danger of poverty and actually in poverty thanks to this government's policies of pumping money into the banks and ignoring manufacturing, farming and all the other industries that actually provide something useful.

The government failed in its duty to regulate the banks. Blame the bankers all you want. They are a convenient scapegoat. The fact is that Brown created the FSA, Brown pioneered light touch regulation and encouraged the banks then went around Europe, with Blair, lecturing the French, Germans et al about their third way. The mans conceit is immense.

Amazingly in his Mansion House speech in 2005, this bloated ego praised the City’s "unique innovative skills, your courage and steadfastness' and thanked his audience 'for the outstanding, the invaluable contribution you make to the prosperity of Britain'.


Then in 2007, he really told us what he thought: ‘'A new world order has been created,' he proclaimed. Britain was 'a new world leader' thanks to 'your efforts, ingenuity and creativity'. He congratulated himself for 'resisting pressure' to toughen up regulation of their activities. Everyone needed to follow the City's 'great example', emulate this 'high value-added, talent-driven industry'. 'Britain needs more of the vigour, ingenuity and aspiration that you already demonstrate.' Thanks to their 'remarkable achievements', we had the huge privilege to live in 'an era that history will record as the beginning of a new Golden Age'.

A few months later it all went belly up.

The bankers are a convenient scapegoat for the incompetence of the Prime Minister when he was chancellor. Certainly they do have some blame to take, but then so does each and every one of us who has borrowed above our means over the last 10 years as well. The banks did not force us to take their money.


As for the dole spongers, I stand by that comment. It annoys me as someone who has always worked that I have to pay for people who want to sit at home all day. I have no problem with National Insurance being a safety net for those who needed and who have contributed but the current system is wrong. It does not incentivise people to work.

You cannot pick and choose the taxes you pay, what a pity. Bragg is just doing this for his own self-aggrandisement. Shame on him.

StevieJ

Spartacus_Mills wrote: »

Still, this working class hero can go back to his cottage on the Dorset coast and go out collecting fossils with his son. That's really revolutionary and radical. Some working class hero.

Can't see what is wrong with that Are you saying that just because you have a cottage on the coast and enjoy activities with your son you can't care for the rest of humanity

Spartacus_Mills

StevieJ wrote: »

Can't see what is wrong with that Are you saying that just because you have a cottage on the coast and enjoy activities with your son you can't care for the rest of humanity

No but it does show a detachment from the working masses he professes to support/speak for.

StevieJ

Spartacus_Mills wrote: »

.

The bankers are a convenient scapegoat for the incompetence of the Prime Minister when he was chancellor. Certainly they do have some blame to take, but then so does each and every one of us who has borrowed above our means over the last 10 years as well. The banks did not force us to take their money.

What is this about, scapegoat light regulation or not, it was they that took the decisions, they were running a business and were entrusted with the assets of their shareholders, it was up to them to develop adequate controls. I don't notice many shops leaving their doors open at night so the burglars can have a free hand
I suppose on the regulation front we can only be glad that the Tory govt wasn't in power at the time :eek:
Conservative MP John Redwood, who heads the party’s economic competitiveness policy review group, will say on Friday that there is no need to regulate mortgages because the lender, not the customer, takes the risk

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/property_and_mortgages/article2251766.ece

StevieJ

prowla wrote: »

Billy Bragg still thinks he's out there standing shoulder to shoulder with Scargill fighting the good fight against Thatcher.

I can only see that the lot of the average British person has taken a downward slide since they lost that battle :eek:

StevieJ

Spartacus_Mills wrote: »

No but it does show a detachment from the working masses he professes to support/speak for.

So there are no working classes on the Dorset coast I would suggest that some of the worst effected of the not so well off are in the South West of England, with low paid work in general and wealthy Londoners pushing up the price of property (that includes Billy Bragg).

Spartacus_Mills

StevieJ wrote: »

What is this about, scapegoat light regulation or not, it was they that took the decisions, they were running a business and were entrusted with the assets of their shareholders, it was up to them to develop adequate controls. I don't notice many shops leaving their doors open at night so the burglars can have a free hand
I suppose on the regulation front we can only be glad that the Tory govt wasn't in power at the time :eek:
Conservative MP John Redwood, who heads the party’s economic competitiveness policy review group, will say on Friday that there is no need to regulate mortgages because the lender, not the customer, takes the risk

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/property_and_mortgages/article2251766.ece

Ah, the old "it would be worse under the Tories" argument. We will never know and we have to deal with the legacy of Labour and their mishandling of the economy and I say that as someone who has always voted for them in the GE's. What you are citing is from late 2007 so is something they could only have realistically put into practise from 2010. The damage was already done by the time Redwood stated this we just were not aware of it (apart from a few HPC'ers). Redwood has a point if the banks actually took the risk on.

Scapegoating Brown. Do you have anything substantive to bring to that accusation instead of gormless comparisons with shops and burglars ?

I am blaming him for something that is his fault and something he was happy to take the credit for in the boom times. Hence the quotes. There is no way on earth when the BoE regulated the industry you would have got liar loans, 125% loans etc etc. The FSA even gave Northern Rock a clean bill of health 2 months before it went under.

Spartacus_Mills

StevieJ wrote: »

So there are no working classes on the Dorset coast I would suggest that some of the worst effected of the not so well off are in the South East of England, with low paid work in general and wealthy Londoners pushing up the price of property (that includes Billy Bragg).

Dorset is in the South West.