In the news

Arguably you'd expect our government to campaign against restrictions on financial vehicles given how much the finance sector contributes to the economy.

If they were campaigning to protect the steel industry it would have been viewed with far more acceptance.

I suppose the point is that the financial industry should be contributing far more to the economy than it does because of tax avoidance, so that a disproportionate amount of these benefits are concentrated in a very small demographic who subsequently do their utmost to minimise any tax exposure they face even on what they do declare. The fact that over 50% of Scotland is owned by fewer than 500 people (if by people you mean large corporate trusts based in the Cayman Islands) is a very apt reflection of what's happening to London at the moment. http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/10/scotland-land-rights

Again, Cameron will campaign to give grouse moors tax breaks but won't protect an industry such as steel that would actually give some kind of more widespread benefit to the community that doesn't depend on the benevolence of the laird. Venal is the only way I'd described it.

And the burning of grouse moors has a direct correlation with the increase in down stream flooding, costing the government and insurance industry (and subsequently us, insurance customers) millions more than is saved.

Venal is exactly right.

Did you hear about the vociferously anti-EU editor of the Daily Mail getting outed as having recieved over £500,000 in EU subsidies on his nice Scottish estate over the last 5 years?

Apparently it's for the benefit of the community that lives around his loss-making luxury hotel there (that he probably just uses as a holiday home). This is why huge swathes of Scotland are bought and sold as investments to funds-because the real subsidy junkies are the international landowners who block development and treat the EU entitlements as dividend payments. A pretty surreal situation that would justify expropriation and re-nationalisation as an immediate cure to be honest.

Arguably you'd expect our government to campaign against restrictions on financial vehicles given how much the finance sector contributes to the economy.

Using the FT stats, and probably bad maths, the amount the "wealth management" sector contributes to UK GDP is around 0.0015% (steel is 0.1% - 66x more). It's obviously impossible to know how much taxes are lost due to these things, but HMRC said a couple of years ago that it was over £35 billion - more than 10x what is being added to the UK economy, by the industries own estimation.

Again, venal.

(Also worth noting that a domestic steel industry has importance beyond economic returns).

I was just looking at the financial sector in general rather than the specific area of wealth management as there is a fair bit of crossover.

There's obviously a midpoint to be reached between being too accommodating and losing out on tax revenue and too strict and losing the industry (and I'm not saying we're there) but often the view is finance/banks = bad, manufacturing = good.

Yeah if we taxed them all the banks and bankers would leave the country and the nearest ATM for us normal people would be in calais.

incentivising poor people = cutting income
incentivising rich people = cutting taxes

everyone knows that

Oh. What a surprise. Camo did have investments in his fathers company...

I, for one, am shocked. Absolutely shocked.

Faints

If this sort of shitwas going down in an African country, it would be called 'corruption'.

Surely this is the end for him.

Or Iceland.

Can we get 10% of our country together to protest yet?

It's actually getting a bit silly just how much of an appalling, shameless liar our prime minister is.

How does one go about organising a peaceful government overthrow?

It's embarrassing that this man represents me and my family on an international level. I want it to end.

Why peaceful? I mean, can't we at least consider bloody and vengeful?

It should be the end of him (as a politician).*

What would the impact of that be on the EU referendum? (which, let's not forget, is also likely to be a second referendum on whether Scotland will remain part of the UK).

Thanks, Dave.

_* decided to add the "as a politician bit" after I read the post above.

All terribly convenient as he backs staying in the EU

I don't know what you can do: Republic of Ireland and NI are corrupt as befuck too, and we all know it. Bar bring back hanging...the only thing you could do is a bank run to scare the life out of them.

Is there no petition for an investigation?

There's a protest happening on Saturday at midday as close to number 10 as the plod will allow according to the twittings. Get involved!

(Not me, I'm in Amsterdam. It's lovely here!)

The sad thing is, nothing will actually change after this revelation, the next revelation, or the one after that.

They're all cunts, and anybody who voted for them is a cunt.

Is there a cure for impotent rage?

In 2010 Cameron sold the shares to avoid claims of impropriety as PM. What an honest guy.

Yet, in 2009 he didn't register them with the HoC under their "registration of financial interests" rules, despite the requirement:

REQUIREMENTS FOR REGISTRATION

1. Under this category Members must register:
   a) Any relevant financial interest or material benefit which does not clearly fall into one of the other categories, including any shareholding which falls below the relevant threshold, or any other financial asset, including an asset held in trust, if the Member nevertheless considers that it meets the test of relevance; in other words, that it might reasonably be thought by others to influence his or her actions or words as a Member;
   

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmcode/1076/107604.htm

Going off.on twitter.
The #CurseDavidCameron hash tag producing a thread of the type.LFGSS would be proud.of

spiderpie in reply to @greenhell
Yeah maybe, although people have short memories.

I'm getting closer and closer to putting my tin-foil hat on the longer this "leak" goes on without any British names emerging. Hopefully we get something to sink our teeth into soon enough.

Kinda like how just about every section of society have been found guilty of paedophillia, yet Westminster appears clean?

Aroogah in reply to @Chalfie
It was fucking eating cows. That gator was eating COWS! This is not a bunch of crocs nabbing one wildebeest. This was one gator eating multiple cows.

I imagine the environment high fiving the reptile.