You ask two people where they live, say, at a party. One says: “I live in Penge”, the other: “I’m domiciled in the UK for tax purposes”, could you guess which one is the hedge fund manager? Yes, right once more, all hedge fund managers love Penge. Even though 9 out of 10 couldn’t find it on a map of Penge. Also, no self-respecting hedge fund dude would EVER be domiciled here when places like Monaco, Geneva and the Caymans still stand and can reduce their personal tax liability by 80%.

Yet Ed Miliband has managed to find a hedge fund manager who not only still ‘lives round ‘ere’, but also one who supports the Labour party and has in fact bunged £600,000 its way over the last few years.

But rather than use this Martin Taylor guy as a shining example that not all hedge fund managers are total bastard, tax-avoiding, exploitative, capitalist shit-head, selfish, greedy, poor-bashing, child-labour-employing rapists, our Ed just kept him very quiet whilst still claiming all of the above for hedge funders and in fact using the term as a euphemism for ‘almost criminal Tories’.

Which, of course, makes Ed look almost as stupid, clueless and hapless as he did eating his famous bacon sandwich.

Yeah, well all hedge fund managers are total and unrelenting bastards, except our one.

Right.

Some people have issues with wealthy labour supporters. They simply can’t reconcile having personal wealth or extensive business interests with a level of compassion and selflessness that the Labour package theoretically brings. Like paying more tax, both corporate and personal, in order to perhaps increase benefits and services for those who don’t drive round in chauffeur-driven Bentleys. Or whose children don’t go to Eton. Or get pregnant at 13.

I want a better life for everyone in this country. I want a health service ‘free at the point of delivery’, I want good schools for every child, housing for everyone, blah, blah, blah. I just don’t want to pay for it all myself. Or watch the hapless economists Labour seem to employ piss all the money away without ever reaching the place its most needed.

So much as the whole pre-election business is about core values of ‘austerity versus increased taxation’, you have to think a little further. Beyond the principles, which are noble, and on to the reality of what those dimwits will actually do with the money they save or tax once they get into power. Squander it on a health service which is the biggest and most tragically inefficient organisation in the world. Or ‘lack of organisation’ in the world, having thrown away £2 billion on an ‘integrated computer system’ that doesn’t work. Yet still had to be paid for in full.

So Martin Taylor is ‘domiciled in the UK for tax purposes’ because he chooses to be so. 99.9% of the rest of us just live here by quirk of fate and birth. And taxes. And I am all in favour of you paying as much tax as its possible to squeeze out.

Happy Saturday

A xxxx