MPs take a break as the Brexit clock ticks
THE COFFEE chain Caffè Nero is in line for a roasting and justifiably so. The UK-based business has 650 stores in this country and 195 elsewhere, and has reported record sales of £279million in the year to June.
With the standard rate of corporation tax here at 19 per cent, it should have been looking at paying around £4.5million. It will, however, pay... nothing.
While the financial manoeuvres employed in taking account of losses made elsewhere are legal, how moral they are is clearly open to debate.
Caffè Nero has now not paid anything in corporation tax in 11 years. How come this coffee chain consistently gets away with not paying “a bean”?
IN A period not short of depressing statistics, this has to be one of the gloomiest. In a survey of more than 3,000 people aged between 11 and 30 by the Prince’s Trust, it was revealed 45 per cent of them do not regard their parents as role models. In many instances, they look instead to social media figures.
How amazingly fortunate was I to be blessed with the parents I had and, trust me, “that way madness lies”.
UNRULY pupils are forcing teachers to leave the profession. Around two-thirds are thinking, or have thought, of quitting and they struggle with pupils who use their phones in class, chew gum or arrive late.
Why is discipline, and how to impose it, not part of our teacher training? But knowing they’re highly unlikely to be backed by their heads, department heads or governors, would teachers be brave enough to impose that discipline anyway?
PANTOMIME. Farce. Shambles. Candidly, most of you can probably come up with far more strident descriptions of what we saw in the House of Commons last week but few would actually make it into print. In truth, if it wasn’t so serious it would be laugh-out-loud funny.
The regrettable reality is, however, it is not just serious... it is deadly serious.
The number of days left before Britain is due to exit the European Union is down to double digits and yet our supposed elected officials, those we chose to govern us, are behaving in a fashion worse than the most unruly bunch of teenagers in the rowdiest of classes.
Not only are we forced to put our trust in them, we also have to shell out fortunes to keep them. Every single one of the 650 MPs earns a minimum of £74,000 per annum, with many on considerably more as they progress up the ministerial totem pole. There are then their staff,
STOP PRESS:
Labour MP Fiona Onasanya, who has been found guilty in court of lying to police to dodge a speeding charge, has likened her plight to that of Jesus! These people are beyond parody.
offices, travel and expenses. This is a mighty financial burden placed on all of us, so the very least we can expect in return is diligence and professionalism.
On the day we witnessed some of the most shameful scenes in Parliament in generations the politicians should have been discussing the publication of the much-delayed White Paper on immigration. You only need to recall on how many occasions Theresa May has repeated the line about “taking back control of our borders” in the Brexit debates to realise how significant this was.
One proposal is that no one can enter the country from an EU country if they are going to earn less than £30,000 per annum. Seeing as junior doctors start on £28,000, nurses even less and the NHS is in a critical staffing shortage, that figure would seem more than a little unwise. Also, 65 per cent of the working population earns less than £30,000, so most of the country’s workers wouldn’t even be allowed to be here!
Incredibly, it was also announced this strategy would now be subject to a 12-MONTH consultation period. Actually, this is wholly believable, as there is nothing this administration seems to relish more than a review, consultation or similar delaying tactic.
Did any of this get debated? Not really, as it was drowned out by a deafening row over Jeremy Corbyn’s refusal to admit he broke Commons convention by ONE OF the many benefits of the Christmas period is the opportunity to see comedy classics from years past.
One recent programme was preceded by the oft-repeated warning: “This does include offensive language.”
And the programme in question?
The Two Ronnies. calling Mrs May a “stupid woman”. This was followed by a performance of unspeakable ineptitude by Speaker John Bercow, whose esteem is now as fragile as his ego. His partisanship against the party he once served as an MP is as great as his stature is small.
IT’S IMPOSSIBLE to choose who emerged less favourably, Corbyn the dissembler who tried to scuttle from the scene of the crime but was called back and then treated us as fools by denying it, or the pipsqueak Speaker who has stripped the role of any impartiality or majesty.
How wonderful to see him humiliated by female MPs who upbraided him, claiming he had used similar language to describe them. His face puce with embarrassment, he had to fight hard to keep the lid on his simmering fury.
One day after this unseemly row, the House “rose” for its 17-day Christmas break. Yes, SEVENTEEN. Credit to at least one of their number, Conservative Nicky Morgan, who addressed her fellow MPs about the absurdity of taking a break of that length at this time. How often have you heard an MP say how crucial the Brexit discussions are, how it
is the biggest constitutional crisis this nation is likely to face in our lifetime and only their skill can get us through. Then they clear off for two-and-a-half weeks!
Unbelievable, unpardonable and unforgivable. Any of you who run your own business or are in a senior position in a company will know you wouldn’t even countenance a holiday of this length so close to such a major event in your firm’s fortunes.
Of course they deserve some time off, but at the very least should they not return on January 2 as so many millions of us will?
When they finally come back and start lecturing us, as they surely will, just remember, when the going got tough, this preachy, work-shy bunch just got going.
AS I TAKE this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and hope you get to spend enjoyable times with your loved ones, can I also thank you for the fantastic amount and superb quality of material, ideas and comments you send to me. It cannot all be replied to but I assure you it’s hugely appreciated.