A Political Metaphor for Guido to Die For
- Perfect use for CCTV: watch Oink the pig-buffalo
- Oink the Water Buffalo: he has a website
- A Political Metaphor for Guido to Die For
Since the debate about Expenses for Members of Parliament is this afternoon, I thought I’d mention a likely never to be repeated analogy.
A story all over the news in the East Midlands a few days ago was about a tame one-ton Water-Buffalo that has been named “Oink”, from Darley Abbey near Derby.
The back story is that poor Oink was put in a field of pigs as a lad, and – like a brand new, well-scrubbed politician introduced into an environment with a lax expenses regime – had learnt to behave like a pig and make “oink” noises.
The moral is that unless a regime is squeaky clean and fully transparent, new arrivals will pick up the existing habits.
Oink was in the news because local youths were throwing stones at him, rather as certain people have been throwing brickbats at our politicians. In order to control the unruly population, they have even – just as for the rest of the nation – installed a CCTV system to protect poor Oink.
If the vote after the debate this afternoon goes the way it should, all we should have left to do is to persuade MPs to donate the capital gains on their taxpayer funded properties back to nation where they belong.
And then we can all get along like pig-buffalos in … er … water.
Oink has his own website and photo gallery, or you can read my account.
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Why just the capital gain ? Why not the entirety of the proceeds (less an adjustment for the capital contribution – deposit, improvements and interest servicing – met out of the MP’s own resources.
On the theme, the past 12 years has seen a hacking about (and doubling in length) of the UK tax code. One of the very few areas of tax law left entirely untouched, despite being one of the most anonalous and generous in its effect, is the capital gains tax relief available to those owning two, or more, homes. Coincidence ?
The truth is that this is a post from 6 months ago which I threw, unfinished, into the future, and didn’t notice that it was going to publish itself.
I will have a look now !
I pretty much agree with you, but I’m not re-rehearsing the detail here.
I should have a podcast before long with one of the MPs who has been calling for thorough reform, though.