Reply to: Pollywatch

[gingerjedi]

Carlos Slim Helú, who says he won't be giving away his £33bn fortune: "Poverty isn't solved with donations - my concept is to accomplish and solve things, not going around like Santa Claus."

Well you learn something new everyday, the world’s richest man is a Mexican and he's made his money in Mexico and other South American countries buy monopolising the land lines, apparently his wealth is the equivalent of 7% of Mexico's GDP... anyone ever been to Mexico City? In a way I agree with what he says but what an earth can you do with £33bn!!!

If you could monopolise would you? At what point do you become the unacceptable face of capitalism? Personally I reckon I'd get out and retire when I hit 10m but that’s me thinking with my currant standards so who knows how greedy and power hungry I would become.

[vetran]

well thats my daily heart and stomach workout. First 180 beats a minute and then a stomach evacuation when I read the comments. I despair!

[Rantor]

Toynbee is always good for an indignation rush.

IIRC she ain't so keen on civil liberties and other such things she dismisses as middle class frivolities.

Wealth distribution before everything else - even most of whats remains of the left think she spouts kack.

[sunnysan]

Lol

" No doubt we'd all like to do that with our taxes, but the better way is to elect a government to spend it as rationally and accountably as it can "

Waaaaaiiiiiiilllll Haar haar haar haar

[Hart-floot]

It is interesting with her that whenever she writes an article about anything her fanatical hatred of the rich shines through whether it bears any relevance to her point or not. The rich cannot win, even if they donate billions they will never donate enough until they become poorer than her (which is not poor at all).

She pins her colours to the moral high ground of pretending to be against poverty, but actually this is a facade that she uses as a platform from which to attack the rich.

She does seem to be setting the agenda for the Tory party lately

[Ruprect]

Whoa there! Reality check! She's a hack, and, therefore, has a God-given right to slag-off, malign, mock, besmirch, ridicule, defame and generally rubbish the very things she does every day. Hacks: the slimiest smears ever swabbed from Satan's anal ring.

Worse than agents? Sry dodge...

[richard-af]

Isn't she rich also? How much do you suppose she earns? It's not voluntary work over at the Guardian

I suppose it is ok for her to be rich, so long as she attacks the other rich people for being rich (like her)

Whoa there! Reality check! She's a hack, and, therefore, has a God-given right to slag-off, malign, mock, besmirch, ridicule, defame and generally rubbish the very things she does every day. Hacks: the slimiest smears ever swabbed from Satan's anal ring.

[BoredBloke]

Isn't she rich also? How much do you suppose she earns? It's not voluntary work over at the Guardian

I suppose it is ok for her to be rich, so long as she attacks the other rich people for being rich (like her)

[DodgyAgent]

It is interesting with her that whenever she writes an article about anything her fanatical hatred of the rich shines through whether it bears any relevance to her point or not. The rich cannot win, even if they donate billions they will never donate enough until they become poorer than her (which is not poor at all).

She pins her colours to the moral high ground of pretending to be against poverty, but actually this is a facade that she uses as a platform from which to attack the rich.

[BoredBloke]

I wonder how much she donates.

[Ruprect]

the trust fund inheritance tax cheats

- erm...is it illegal?? FFS...

Tax avoidance may be legal, but it is still immoral

- this sort of thing annoys me. El Gordo seems to be getting the avoidance = evasion message through. IT IS NOT THE SAME!!!! Grrr

[richard-af]

I do hate her.

Me too.

[Lucy]

just so you do not think that I aM a slavish Telegraph only reader, here is Polly continuing her class war against the rich and priviliged. As if the govt is going to spend money on alleviating poverty better than charities do

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists...129508,00.html

I do hate her.

[Moose423956]

Sir Tom is not altogether typical: in Britain, the rich give a lower proportion of their wealth than others, with more donors in the north east than the south east, and more women than men.

SallyAnne - is this true? Are you the most generous person in Britain?

Gordon Brown has encouraged giving with new tax breaks. If the rich tire of one of their homes, which has no doubt risen vastly in value, they can give it to charity and pay no capital gains tax. Ditto any shares they donate.

Spot the new tax loophole. I can see rich people setting up their own charities for tax purposes.

[richard-af]

As if the govt is going to spend money on alleviating poverty better than charities do

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Columnists...129508,00.html

Eh? Those charities that work to alleviate poverty should not have to exist, period. Those that assist donkeys with eating disorders, etc., yes, sure, that's a definite personal conscience thing.