“THE Government shouldn’t step in to bail them out. They should let them go bust.”
Guess who said that, in 2009, about whether the then Government should intervene to save British Airways?
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It was none other than Richard Branson, owner of Virgin Atlantic.
The same Richard Branson, who is currently appealing for the British taxpayer to bail out his very own Virgin Atlantic.
There are several reasons why his request is, frankly, outrageous. Part and parcel of owning a business is that you are responsible for bailing it out with your own money, or with a loan from the bank, putting up the business and brand as collateral.
That’s what banks are there for — it’s why they were invented.
'HE COULD BAIL OUT HIS OWN BUSINESS'
But, just to be clear, Sir Richard is the 312th richest person in the world with an estimated £4billion fortune, according to the Bloomberg billionaires’ index. With that kind of money, he could bail out his own business.
But there is a bigger issue here, which is that Richard Branson hasn’t paid UK income tax for more than a decade.
He claims that he and his wife “did not leave Britain for tax reasons but for our love of the beautiful British Virgin Islands and, in particular, Necker Island”.
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But motivation for his departure is not the point. He is no longer a UK taxpayer.
So if the British Virgin Islands is his home he should ask the British Virgin Islands to bail him out.
At the moment, we all have a duty to do what we can to save the country.
'SADDLED WITH DEBT FOR YEARS TO COME'
There is no such thing as free money and any money spent by the Government now will be repaid by us, the taxpayers, who will be saddled with the debt for years to come.
Sadly we don’t all have billions to fall back on, or a paradise island to escape to.
Poland and Denmark are banning companies that are registered in tax havens from accessing financial aid during the coronavirus epidemic and we should do the same.
That’s just common sense. You can’t take out if you don’t put in.
Screening put on hold
It is more than slightly terrifying to learn that national screening programmes for cervical and bowel cancers have been put on hold for the indefinite future.
These screening programmes have been so effective in saving lives.
By stopping these vital tests, what problems are we storing up for later?
This is the kind of thing that makes people ask whether the cure for coronavirus could end up being worse than the disease.
There are other medical killers out there, too, and we cannot go on ignoring them.
One solution would be to move all Covid-19 cases to Nightingale hospitals and reserve the other hospitals for other serious health issues such as cancer and heart problems.
I’m not saying you should be able to get a nose job on the NHS at the moment.
But people do have health problems that need dealing with and we need to address that.
Twitter cash rap so wrong
Billionaire Twitter founder Jack Dorsey has been under fire this week for “only” giving a whopping $600million (£485million) to the coronavirus relief effort, rather than the “billion dollars” he initially pledged.
For God’s sake – the man has given 20 per cent of his entire wealth. Don’t you think we should all give him a break.
And how about a simple, “thank you”?
Yes, he has the money.
But no, he doesn’t HAVE to give it away, he chose to, and – frankly – he can do what he likes with his own cash.
Social distancing
Our collective hearts sank this week reading the news that social distancing could remain in place until at least Christmas.
It is also becoming harder not to question the limits of some of the restrictions that are currently in place.
For example, the fact that if social distancing is effective then why is sitting on the grass in a deserted park such a big deal?
And what about, say, a socially distanced chat with a friend in a front garden that allows two metres between the two of you and any passers-by?
I know it’s easier to issue a blanket rule, but, five weeks in, people are getting fed up, and our mental health is at stake.
Let’s hope the measures are at least relaxed a bit before they are lifted entirely.
Prince Louis
WHOSE heart did not melt at the photos of Prince Louis as he turned two this week?
That smile. Those eyes. That face. He is just adorable and so cute.
I am sure his little smiling face cheered everyone up.
Pitfalls of Zoom
As we all navigate a new way of living, which involves seeing hardly any humans, and communicating mainly through a screen, it turns out there is a whole new set of obstacles to navigate, too.
There is the footage, which went viral, of the woman on a business Zoom call who didn’t realise her camera was on and went to the loo while all her colleagues watched.
And then there is advertising king Charles Saatchi, who did not realise that his partner, Trinny Woodall, was doing a livestream from the bathroom and wandered in behind her . . . stark naked.
They do say in advertising that all publicity is good publicity. I’m not sure he will agree with that now.
Business is waiting for your call, Boris
Over the past five weeks we have had no choice but to look on as, one by one, the various trappings of normal life have been taken away.
Jobs have been lost and employees furloughed, shops have shut down, pubs and restaurants closed, event after event postponed.
Obviously, this pales in importance compared to the vital need to slow the spread of the virus, to save lives and – for most of us – to stay at home while this happens.
But with each passing week, the penny is slowly beginning to drop that the chances of returning to normal life any time soon are slim.
One thing we do know is that no one knows what life will be like on the other side of this crisis. The future is always uncertain, but it is more uncertain than ever.
REBUILDING BRITAIN
Rebuilding Britain after this pandemic will mean stepping into a brave new world. We know the economy is already damaged beyond recognition and the UK will need all hands on deck to try to raise a phoenix out of the ashes.
I am optimistic we will bounce back from this, but we need all the help we can get.
I’m baffled as to why the Government hasn’t asked for expert business help. They should be making it an absolutely priority to recruit top business figures to work alongside ministers to steer us through the pandemic and help rebuild the economy when lockdown is over.
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Successful British business leaders have spent years accumulating the expertise and first-class experience in, for example, the fields of procurement and logistics required for the central buying and distribution of PPE.
They would be able to help plan the exit strategy when lockdown is lifted in a way that still helps protect the vulnerable and elderly.
They will be able to oversee the reopening of international travel and help to plan the organisation of mass testing and tracing of those with the disease. And they have the strategic planning ability to get people into work quickly.
'UNPRECEDENTED TIME'
Winston Churchill did this during World War Two, so let’s hope that Boris Johnson emulates his hero and decides to do the same thing – and fast.
We urgently need serious people to tackle the serious problems we are facing during this unprecedented time.
This country has some of the best, most effective and inspirational business leaders in the world. They have been there, seen it and, most importantly, done it.
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And, believe me, most of them are all sitting on the sidelines watching with open mouths about the fact that we cannot get PPE distributed, we can’t get tests that work, we are buying equipment from China that arrives broken, and that we don’t have an exit strategy.
No business leader I have spoken to would say no to this request – all the Government has to do is ask.
These issues are all resolvable – just let the experts do it. Let’s invite them to form a central task force to deal with these problems and help to create a feeling of optimism about the future.
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We are backing a proposal by Lord Ashcroft to honour our health heroes with the gallantry gong given for acts of bravery that did not take place in battle.
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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiR2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRoZXN1bi5jby51ay9uZXdzLzExNDgwMDYyL2JhaWwtb3V0LXZpcmdpbi1hdGxhbnRpYy1wYXktaW4v0gFLaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cudGhlc3VuLmNvLnVrL25ld3MvMTE0ODAwNjIvYmFpbC1vdXQtdmlyZ2luLWF0bGFudGljLXBheS1pbi9hbXAv?oc=5
2020-04-26 01:59:10Z
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