17th November - Trouble in Paradise?

The Paradise papers were released by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on 5 November. Similar to the Panama papers (leaked in 2015), they detail strategies employed by corporations and wealthy individuals to avoid paying tax and they reveal the offshore tax affairs of prominent individuals and corporations around the world.

The following day, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell raised the Paradise Paper leak in Parliament. Conservative MP Peter Bone very kindly explained that 'evasion is wholly illegal, avoidance is normal', although this still left 99% of the population a little confused.





Last year, David Cameron was filmed excitedly joking to the Queen that leaders from some 'fantastically corrupt countries' were visiting. We didn't realise at the time that this was an inside joke.


Unfortunately, the following Tuesday cabinet meeting was cancelled.

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are friends again, and they wrote a letter to Theresa May outlining their Brexit demands. Two days later Theresa May announced our date of departure to the hour — 11pm GMT 29th March 2019.  'We will not tolerate attempts to slow down Brexit', declared Theresa May (whose Government still hasn't published a sensible Brexit plan since the UK voted to leave over 16 months ago ago). 'David Davis is doing perfectly fine job of that all on his own', she possibly continued. 

The lucky few who will now avoid the EU 'Anti Tax Avoidance Directive' that comes into place in early 2019 will certainly have something to look forward to with the count-down to 'Brexit Eve'. A suspicious mind might come to the conclusion there could be a few tax avoiders out partying that night, celebrating that they get to keep their little bit of Paradise. Certainly not tax evaders though (that would probably be illegal).

No one seems to know where the Brexit papers are, or even if they actually exist. Either way David Davis is has been far too busy to find them — after the EU recently suggested that the UK has two weeks to prevent Brexit from being a disaster, and only 16 months into his role as Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis made a bold announcement that 'EU citizens will be supported through a streamlined and easy-to-use application process'.

The NHS Chief asked for the £350 million a week promise to the NHS (by the Leave campaign) to be honoured. Later that day Jeremy Hunt, the Secretary of State for Health, was seen entering No 10. With an article just published in the British Medical Journal reporting an astounding 120,000 deaths in the UK associated with austerity cuts in health and social care, hopefully he was given some pre-budget 'bad' news. 

Two weeks ago, the Conservatives delayed the parliamentary vote for votes at 16 by filibustering, demonstrating that they are indisputably less serious about politics than most 16-18 year olds. Time is against the Conservatives though — the younger generations know that Paradise doesn't look like this...