Britannia Radio

26 May 2009 One Tax Loophole - Two Letters Editor The Times 23 May 09 The 39-year-old Minister for Work and Pension, James Purnell, claims he took advantage of specialist tax advice to defend his exploitation of a loophole in the regulations governing capital gains. Since when has an elected representative of the people been placed in the House of Commons to take advantage of a loophole in the law? Surely all MPs should regard it has part of their job is to ensure loopholes are closed, or abolished for the benefit of us all. What hope is there for our democracy when a cabinet minister, no less, does not understand the parliamentary process? Ashley Mote James Purnell MP Minister for Work and Pensions 22 May 2009 Your remarks yesterday on the BBC, when you tried to defend your exploitation of a loophole in the tax regulations, were a pitiable disgrace to your public office. Since when has an elected representative of the people been placed in the House of Commons to take advantage of a loophole in the law? Your job is to ensure it is closed, or abolished for the benefit of all. Claiming you took advantage of specialist tax advice is no justification whatsoever. It merely compounds your utter lack of understanding of the parliamentary process. And yours is the department that mounted a million-pound political witch-hunt against me personally, with the aim of removing me from the European Parliament. Well that little matter is not yet over by a long chalk. Meanwhile your department’s management of public funds has been found seriously wanting by the NAO for the umpteenth year running. I am almost speechless at the scale of your personal humbug, let alone that of scores of your fellow ministers and MPs. Perhaps you might explain the benefit to all taxpayers of your institutionalised looting of our funds, both personally and as a minister? Your government has, in the last 11 years or so, managed to reduce this once great nation to the status of a corrupt third-world banana republic, with a fig-leaf of a parliament now unable to police itself or look after the interests of the people who elected it. I appreciate that you are too young to have experienced the mother of Parliaments in full flow. But you and your colleagues had no right to abolish it. It was not yours to destroy. Ashley Mote PS: I return to the little matter of the continuing, utterly inadequate ability of your JobCentres to provide effective support, based on knowledge and understanding, to senior management recently made redundant. Several weeks ago I challenged your head of that division to come with me, anonymously, to find out for himself how wretchedly inadequate it still is. He remains cowering in his ivory tower.   To respond to, or comment on this Email, please email ashley.mote@btconnect.com