TUC National Demonstration Against Cuts

[OrangeBernard]

Who's going? I've just booked my train tickets. Its my first protest, any advice or tips? Bit worried about kettling.

but what about New Labour, doesn't that remind you of newspeak?

Yep :)

His brother is engaging in lawful tax avoidance and why not? I don't understand why people object to others claiming tax allowance, pension tax relief, ensuring wife and husband earn £7000k each so no tax is paid rather than just one of them earning £14k. You can only operate within the law. To castigate lawful tax avoidance is very unfair on people.

"THE OFFICE OF DAVID MILIBAND LIMITED
58-60 BERNERS STREET
LONDON
UNITED KINGDOM
W1T 3JS
Company No. 07475582

Status: Active
Date of Incorporation: 21/12/2010"

Eh, whose brother?

Ed's brother.

"Tax planning: David Miliband has set up a company as a tax efficient vehicle for his non-parliament earnings
David Miliband was a member of Gordon Brown?s Cabinet that slapped a 50p tax rate on people earning more than £150,000 a year.
This was seen as part of Labour?s ?class war? aimed at shoring up the party?s core working-class support.
Of course, few of those Cabinet class warriors would have expected to be affected personally by the new top rate of tax. But how interesting it is to learn that Miliband (who resigned from front-line politics in a sulk after his younger brother Ed ?stole? the Labour leadership from him) has moved to protect himself from HM Revenue & Customs .
Quietly, he has set up a company called ?The Office of David Miliband Limited?, which will be a tax-efficient vehicle for his non-parliamentary earnings.
This means that all payments the former Foreign Secretary receives from commercial speaking engagements and other lucrative private work will be paid into the firm. It will be subject to corporation tax of 20 per cent (rather than the 40 per cent rate Miliband would have to pay on his income as an individual taxpayer).
This clever tax-planning could offer a further advantage if Miliband offsets expenses incurred in the course of his non-MP business against any profits.
Miliband is clearly a canny operator when it comes to tax. In the past, he exploited a Revenue loophole to reduce the family?s total death duty bill by using a so-called ?deed of variation? in respect of his childhood home.
I wonder what Miliband?s late Marxist father would say about his socialist sons making use of one of the capitalists? favourite tax-avoidance devices (albeit a perfectly legal one)?
Already, the money has started rolling into Miliband Inc. As non-executive vice-chairman Sunderland Football Club, he gets £75,000 a year and there was a £25,000 fee for a lecture at the Emirates Centre For Strategic Studies in Abu Dhabi."

I agree. There's nothing wrong with legal tax avoidance at all.

Giftaid is effectively tax avoidance. I don't see people getting all het up over that one!

Everyone's got to make a living. Which is why I tend to think 'fair game' to people to exploit loop holes in the benefit system.

Just thinking about this private better than public thing. My next door neighbour died last week in his 90s. When home care was solely supplied to the LE, he had a 'home help' who shopped, prepared food, cleaned and was very, very helpful and friendly in lots of ways during the hour or so she stayed 3 times a week. This service got 'privatised' and for the last few years he's had a succession of different workers rushing in and out for 15 mins at a time who now 'aren't allowed' to do lots of things that the hh did.

This wasn't 'better' for him or his family, it wasn't 'better' for the staff who maybe would have liked to get to know their clients but are always watching the clock. The only people that it's 'better' for is the people running the home care agency, cutting everything to the bone because that's the only way to win tenders hence contracts, and making a profit out of other's misery.

Which is how privatisation so often works.

ttosca - you may think xenia isn't listening to you, but why should she when you are enough of a git to think that using the term "autistic" pejoratively in a way which competely trivialises a serious disorder is acceptable - on athread where people are posting about their children who suffer from that very condition? What fucking planet are you from? Xenia may be robust in the way she expresses herself and I frequently disagree with her but she's far too intelligent ever to post something like that.

Very well, I apologise. No offence intended to anyone who has children with this disorder, or anyone else for that matter.

Xenia doesn't express herself 'robustly'. Robust is the wrong word. She basically just repeats mantras over and over without engaging in any sort of discussion.

Just how childish is this...

here

The Taxpayers alliance website says..."An exciting event, the Rally Against Debt, has been organised for 14 May. It will be a major demonstration highlighting the importance of tackling the huge public sector deficit, and the need for substantial spending cuts. So far over 1,300 people have signed up to a rally that aims to be a well mannered alternative to the unrealistic trade union march".

Can you believe this load of old guff? Every person I met on that day was well mannered and polite. Not one person was rude or pushy [like most days if you travel into town] and it was far from 'unrealistic'. How pathetic.

Childish but expected.

General strike only way to move forward with meaningful protest now. Will the TUC be brave enough to make that call? Or is Brendan Barber going to roll over and show his belly? Shame Bob Crow isn't the leader of the TUC.

Prefer Mark Serwotka, a gentler tone. The hatchet job on Bob Crow in the Sunday Times this week was interesting- the agenda of the Times has been fascinating recently, especially all the little digs at the NUT.

I liked him alot on Question Time actually. But he's Welsh. Tabloid heaven. (I include the Times in tabloids BTW). M

I like Serwotka too. There was a (surprisingly friendly) interview with Bob Crow in the FT the other week where I think he said he wasn't in favour of a general strike.

Bob Crow also did lunch with the FT and picked "Rules" where apparently he often eats, which presumably all of us could do if we were in heavily subsidised rented housing designed for the poor. Has time to work out 6 days a week apparently.
[Ah see that was just posted almost - it also said his brother is a stockbroker in Surrey]

Do you believe all you read in the FT??? Lordy. Who gives a flying one what Crow's brother does? Is of no relevance whatsoever. My brother's a misguided, repentant Lib Dem voter. Has no reflection on me. You. Xenia are applying a nepotistic logic that says alot more about you and the FT's agenda than about Crow.

I'm prepared to be swayed by Serwotka and have an open mind on Crow. All I know is we need a savvy, articulate leader whose heart is solidly in it. Seeing as there's no socialist mainstream political representation the union leaders must step up to the plate as they did in Egypt. Will they do the same here? Time's of the essence.

Indeed, who cares what Crow's brother does or where he lives ? I certainly don't.

I read that article Xenia and it sounded like the journo inferred that Crow regularly ate at Rules - it didn't seem to be substantiated by anything other than the fact that he chose what he wanted from the menu really quickly . And again, who cares where the man eats?

Or whether he works out or not?

Exactly Rambling. There's alot of folk out there who are unable or unwilling to cut through the propagandistic guff written spewed forth in the vast majority of mainstream media. Anyone can put a positive or negative spin on a person or a story if they've the whim.

My only beef with Crow was the fact he ate with the FT hounds in the first place as is bound to get their fleas. Smacks of naivety to me. He shouldn't have been interviewed by them and should certainly NOT have been taken out to lunch by them. Error of judgement that doesn't bode well for is future political/unionist career.

Not sure how much it will harm his career Glasnost. He's built a succesful trade union career for himself over the last 20 years to the point where he's now the most recongisable face of trade unionism to most people in the street.

Not sure he cares whether people like him or not.

And I actually thought the FT article was pretty sympathetic.

PS. For the record, I like him :)

His trade union career is one thing but he's standing in the elections in May along with the party I'm a member of in a coalition called TUSC. He could be a bona fide leader to a valid alternative to the mainstream political parties. If so I reckon he should quit lunching with the capitalists' bible. Just my humble opinion.

The FT is going on about cuts ad nauseum at the moment - almost a full page on it today - don't assume it's right wing. From memory he was talking about having been at Rules the week before with union friends. It's just amusing that because he lives in massively subsidised housig despite being on over £100k a year and whatever the mother of his 4 children is on he can afford to eat there or may be the union was paying.

Thatcherite cuts agenda exposed ? video of Tory MP Greg Barker

www.coalitionofresistance.org.uk/2011/04/thatcherite-cuts-agenda-exposed-video-of-tory-mp-greg-barker/

He says 30% cuts and Labour wanted 20%. I really don't think there's a massive difference except the Coalition will also reduce business tax and that will lead to more prosperity and a better ability to fund those who really can't work and need the support of a welfare state to which this Government is committed as much as any other.

Xenia you're right. I don't think the FT is right wing.