Hypocrite Hartnett must go!

What kind of blinkered numbskull could allow these two statements to be broadcast on the very same day? Firstly -"Mr Hartnett told BBC Radio 4's Money Box programme: "I'm not sure I see a need to apologise. I've read the papers, listened to the media and heard stories of HMRC blunder and IT failure. Neither of those are true. Secondly - " I apologise if my remarks came across as insensitive.

"I am working flat out with my colleagues to ensure everyone's tax is correct and the new computer system will help us do this.

"It was this new system that revealed the extent and size of reconciliations required and will help us be more accurate in future but we do not underestimate the distress caused to taxpayers and once again I apologise."

The flat contradiction makes the belated apology even more insulting, as Treasury spokesman Lord Oakeshott, quoted in The Independent, earlier accused Hartnett of being "in a world of his own; I wonder what planet he is on."....."This is the latest in a series of management failures in the HMRC going back many years. If Mr Hartnett cannot see why he should apologise for this one, then he really should be reconsidering his own position..."

The full catalogue of disasters is detailed in the Telegraph , by Paul Farrow, linked here, giving the lie to Lord Oakeshott's words. Hartnett should not be considering his position, it being quite clear he is so besotted and befuddled by POWER that he is incapable of rational thought, he should therefore be summarily dismissed, "pour encourager les autres" as was once said of the executed Admiral Byng, read here. Any serving Civil Servant, MP or other troughing public official had better quickly realise that such arrogance guarantees a tax revolt in the longer run, if not in the immediate short term, and all their disgustingly high pensions entitlements, stretching decades into the future, if not yet at risk today, will certainly never eventually materialise until the public sees clear evidence that the loot from such corrupt excesses has been returned to the Treasury - thus perhaps allowing a small percentage of these huge sums to be paid where genuine and honest service can be seen to have been provided.

As suggested repeatedly on this blog an essential start should be the return of the MP expenses funded property portfolios of the Prime Minister and his Deputy, the firing of 'Dave' Hartnett without pension now seems an extra first necessary step.

Another face of Britain's smug, self-satisfied and hopeless Civil Service

After foreign wind-farm promoter and retired grandée and inquirer into the walking offence against humanity that is the habitual liar Tony Blair, one Sir John Chilcot mentioned on this blog in connection with Britain's corrupted civil service, most recently on 29th August, we can now bring you another mechéant mandarin: Permanent Secretary for tax (does that title indeed not say it all, for were he not permanent there might be some chance of rectifying the appalling mess that is Britain's tax system) one Dave Hartnett. (Spelling?? The BBC also has Harnett???) Listen to the stupefying glibness of this publicly employed overseer of a department so riddled with incompetence that it boggles the mind. It arrived on the Today programme via a "Moneybox Programme" interviewer as the subject and his department refused to be interviewed on the BBC flagship current affairs radio programme, which with his odious comments and attitude says it all really. Click here and listen from 55 seconds into the clip.

Printing money deals blow to pensions

The debasement of the country's currency is about to deal a blow to the pensions of those who have carefully put aside money for decades for their retirement. The Observer has a report this morning, linked here, from which comes this: Experts have told the Observer that those who use their pension funds now to buy annuities - which guarantee them a set income a year until they die - will receive much lower pensions than they could have just a few weeks ago. I reach retirement age this summer so I will be able to suffer and report on the impact as it takes shape and plan to do so on this blog. Already, in an aspect not considered in the article, the fund from which my annuity will be made available has shrunk due to the catastrophic collapse in the stock market. Theft seems not too strong a word given what Brown has already wrought, another quote: "What the government has done is effectively steal some of people's pensions on a policy that does not work," she said. "For the half a million people who are due to retire this year it is a disaster." In my view not just this year either, for waiting will not improve things therefore it is for all subsequent years as well, the Prudent are about to be crushed! Conservative Home blog are proposing MPs take a pay cut of 5 per cent BUT as this blog has proposed before, removal of pensions earned by our Maggot MPs since John Major's election will be the only just and logical course - that now seems only appropriate as a starter!