Crystal Whatmore

Two things have happened in the past 48 hours ➡️ Tax expert Dan Neidle published a detailed report on Green leader Zack Polanski likely owing around £4,000 in council tax after living on a houseboat for three years without registering it as his main residence ➡️ Ben Habib says a foreign-based billionaire gave: £1m to Boris Johnson £1m to Nigel Farage £5m to Nigel Farage £14m to the Brexit party Our media and online focused on the ~£4,000 in council taxes with Polanski, and has largely ignored a foreign billionaire giving £21 million to Johnson, Farage and the Brexit party This doesn't mean we ignore the former and focus on the latter, but the energy on the former and the near silence on the latter, ought to worry all of us who are concerned about fairness and accountability I apologised in a previous thread to @DanNeidle for not having read fully his report last night before commenting, and in case that was lost and not seen, I'll do so again - It's important that we acknowledge when we get things wrong But what frustrates me is the language and framing of the report. If you read it carefully, Neidle is measured. He uses "if" conditions when laying out evidence, and has since clarified that "carelessly paying the wrong tax is not a crime" It's like saying, what if, but not really. And that nuance is easily lost if people only skim it (as I did initially) or only see excerpts from the report or the news The result was a massive pile-on against both Polanski and Neidle, both for different reasons One group accused Polanski of being a tax avoider, while another insulted Dan Neidle simply for conducting the investigation and asking legitimate questions All politicians should face proper scrutiny. They represent the wider public and are expected to set a good example And that's exactly what Polanski did, once he learnt of his mistake, and he corrected it by approaching the council It’s also fair to ask why Neidle devoted such a detailed report to ~£4,000 in council tax, far smaller than the multi-million pound avoidance cases he usually tackles But the principle is that all politicians - especially those who strongly advocate for tax justice, fairness and especially wealth taxes - should lead by example and get the basics right Don’t hate on Dan Neidle for looking into this - scrutiny is healthy Don’t hate on Zack Polanski for getting it wrong and now fixing it We all have to get better at responding to information with nuance instead of instant outrage or pile-ons At the same time, it’s entirely legitimate to ask why a foreign billionaire donated around £21 million to Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, and the Brexit Party/Reform UK - and what, if anything, was expected in return Brexit has had serious consequences, it has widened inequality in Britain, and become a deep divider of social cohesion And we should also be asking whether we’re doing enough to protect our democracy and economy from foreign influence, no matter where it comes from