Today I'm angry about.....

[Bruce Rioja]

Yesterday when I got home from work I found my face drawing back in a snarling rictus of fury as I opened the fridge only to discover that I hadn't put the lid back on the Vimto properly and it'd dripped out all over the fridge. Grrrrrrrr.

[bwfcdan94]

I'd gladly pay a higher percentage of tax on my earnings above a certain amount. Gladly. In fact I'd campaign to do so.

What are you doing with all this money you don't need? What worthy causes are you giving it to? Because that's just empty rhetoric otherwise.

Something that you all seem to be missing is that the board of directors at Oxfam probably earn more than the GDP of some of the worlds poorest nations.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Yesterday when I got home from work I found my face drawing back in a snarling rictus of fury as I opened the fridge only to discover that I hadn't put the lid back on the Vimto properly and it'd dripped out all over the fridge. Grrrrrrrr.

Bloody annoying that. I have issues with Vimto too. As the glass fills with water from the water cooler the purple goodness splashes out of the glass making a bloody mess of the floor tiles. Usually one of the cats goes skidding through it before I can clean up and it ends up in all the rugs.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

But the bolded bit suggests you think that a system that leads to 85 people being richer than half the world is a good and fair one. So what is the justification for it, in your eyes?

Given the current state of 'global' governance, does it make sense to talk of a 'system'? Isn't this a bit like discussing whether it's a good thing that 70% of the Earth's surface is water when so many live in cramped conditions.

And isn't talk of people being 'richer' another potential category error? Yes, there are plenty of people in the world caused great suffering because of material poverty and disease, but are there not lots of people living simple but contented lives, who would barely register on any $ measurement of their life?

Can we meaningfully compare a depressed wage slave in Slough to somebody happily subsistence farming in Bongo-Bongo Land?

[Harry Genshaw]

Can we meaningfully compare a depressed wage slave in Slough to somebody happily subsistence farming in Bongo-Bongo Land?

That's beneath a man of your intellect

[thebish]

I'd gladly pay a higher percentage of tax on my earnings above a certain amount. Gladly. In fact I'd campaign to do so.

What are you doing with all this money you don't need? What worthy causes are you giving it to? Because that's just empty rhetoric otherwise.

Something that you all seem to be missing is that the board of directors at Oxfam probably earn more than the GDP of some of the worlds poorest nations.

near enough 80% of oxfam's budget is spent directly on the services and programmes it delivers.. which - given the scale and scope of its operations, isn't too shabby..

Dan - how much does the board of Oxfam earn, do you think?

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Can we meaningfully compare a depressed wage slave in Slough to somebody happily subsistence farming in Bongo-Bongo Land?

That's beneath a man of your intellect

Just a little topical joke, Harry.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

I'd gladly pay a higher percentage of tax on my earnings above a certain amount. Gladly. In fact I'd campaign to do so.

What are you doing with all this money you don't need? What worthy causes are you giving it to? Because that's just empty rhetoric otherwise.

Something that you all seem to be missing is that the board of directors at Oxfam probably earn more than the GDP of some of the worlds poorest nations.

near enough 80% of oxfam's budget is spent directly on the services and programmes it delivers.. which - given the scale and scope of its operations, isn't too shabby..

Dan - how much does the board of Oxfam earn, do you think?

The EU manages 6% spend on the admin. They're famously wasteful, so what are Oxfam doing at 20%?

[thebish]

I'd gladly pay a higher percentage of tax on my earnings above a certain amount. Gladly. In fact I'd campaign to do so.

What are you doing with all this money you don't need? What worthy causes are you giving it to? Because that's just empty rhetoric otherwise.

Something that you all seem to be missing is that the board of directors at Oxfam probably earn more than the GDP of some of the worlds poorest nations.

near enough 80% of oxfam's budget is spent directly on the services and programmes it delivers.. which - given the scale and scope of its operations, isn't too shabby..

Dan - how much does the board of Oxfam earn, do you think?

The EU manages 6% spend on the admin. They're famously wasteful, so what are Oxfam doing at 20%?

a good percentage of the remaining is fundraising - which, like it or not, costs money. the EU doesn't have to do that...

[Bruce Rioja]

a good percentage of the remaining is fundraising - which, like it or not, costs money. the EU doesn't have to do that...

Do they let you keep the hangers at Oxfam? I have a suitcase full of spares - do you think they might be able to use them, bish?

[thebish]

a good percentage of the remaining is fundraising - which, like it or not, costs money. the EU doesn't have to do that...

Do they let you keep the hangers at Oxfam? I have a suitcase full of spares - do you think they might be able to use them, bish?

dunno - pop in and ask!

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

a good percentage of the remaining is fundraising - which, like it or not, costs money. the EU doesn't have to do that...

Oxfam don't have to pay out the pensions and annual travel allowances (worked out by train travel distance), so swings n roundabouts. On the travel allowance thing, here is a nice little earner I know of: Argentinian also has an Italian passport, which he uses to get the job (you have to be an EU/EEA national). But when it comes to travel allowances he decides he's Argentinian as it's worth at least triple the money. The travel allowance also applies to wife and kids and amounts to thousands, payable each year (tax free). Hoboh will be pleased to fiond he's paying for that


* Disclaimer - it is possible the loophole has been closed by now. Similar allowances for claiming married allowances as you live with someone, but claim the kids allowances as a single mother, have been known too.

So Oxfam have no excuse

[thebish]

none of which makes Oxfam's fundraising free...

you can always choose not to give to Oxfam if you don't want to... other charitable bodies exist...

(Our very own BWFC-supporting local hero - Simon Madrell runs an ACE charity called "Excellent Development" which i would always recommend to those who are sniffy about the others... http://www.excellentdevelopment.com/home

my own main three charities that i support are the World Development Movement, Christian Aid and Amnesty International...

[William the White]

Can we meaningfully compare a depressed wage slave in Slough to somebody happily subsistence farming in Bongo-Bongo Land?

That's beneath a man of your intellect

The place so loved by the League of Empire Loyalists and their 'modern' variant, UKIP... I believe it contains a lot of barely clothed black people playing drums late at night... and drinking strong alcohol paid for by our taxes...

I'm amazed crayons went for it...

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

It was a deliberately ridiculous reference to a ridiculous man - are you both being serious?!

[William the White]

It was a deliberately ridiculous reference to a ridiculous man - are you both being serious?!

OK, i understand...

[Lord Kangana]

I thought everyone was deriding you for the happy subsistence farmers comment to be honest.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

I thought everyone was deriding you for the happy subsistence farmers comment to be honest.

The point is that there are plenty of people in the world living simple lives and not necessarily desperate for something else that looks like material wealth. Is that a statement worthy of derision?

[Lord Kangana]

Subsistence farming was perhaps a poor choice of example in that instance then.

[mummywhycantieatcrayons]

Subsistence farming was perhaps a poor choice of example in that instance then.

Sorry - I don't get where you're coming from here. Are you saying that a 'happy subsistence farmer' is a theoretical impossibility/a contradiction in terms?