I have found several links to reports on the effect of carousel fraud over the past 12 years or so. How interesting that whilst there is plenty of hot air about combating it, very little has been done to eradicate what is, on the surface, damaging to the UK exchequer. The Guardian in 2002. Written by James…
A View on VAT
Whilst conducting research into my forthcoming book on the murkier side of the VAT system, I came across this fascinating article from a US website. Currently, the US employs a system of purchase tax, levied on the retailer and appearing separately on till receipts. The writer is concerned about the introduction of VAT and the…
Ignorance Of The Law Is No Excuse
…or is it? Perhaps one of the most quoted tenets when matters legal come to the surface, yet does this apply universally or not? I am moved to comment after both Andy Coulson and Rebekah Brooks have attempted to use this as some sort of defence in their current trial. I had assumed this to…
Sequel to Greed
I am currently working on two projects-one being Right to Live which I expect to publish in June and Greedier, the long-awaited sequel to Greed. During the past 9 years, I have undertaken extensive research to get the flavour of the UK prison system at first hand and certainly feel qualified to write about that…
“Nazi” Schools in Chile and Russia
This is all we need… It would appear that the Pinochet school will teach according to the Third Reich and its promoter is actually happy to be associated with Nazism. It would appear that the influence of escaped Nazis in South America isn’t likely to die out soon. Something along the lines of the Adolf…
To Extradite or Not
Further to the earlier post, I have spent much of the past two weeks researching the Meredith Kercher case. (I recommend you check out the link. There are lots of fast balls for the Knox/Sollecito camp). I do wonder whether one of them will crack soon and try to blame the other. Knox has plenty…
When Is A Crime Not A Crime?
Perhaps when it is committed by representatives of a Government, rather than an individual. Witness the story of Lauri Love, a 28 year old man from Suffolk, told here on the BBC, versus today’s reports that GCHQ has been collecting Yahoo Messenger videos. Naturally, one thinks of George Orwell. What prescience he showed back in…
My VAT Case-Operation Capri and Operation Devout
The matter itself is extremely complex and was Customs & Excise’s biggest ever case. Costing millions to bring to Court, it included murders, kidnappings, the involvement of some of Britain’s biggest ever companies and even reached into the very heart of Downing Street. Trial after trial, dozens of arrests, yet was it really worth it?…
“Come and See” Elem Klimov’s 1985 Film about the conflict between true evil and the forgotten.
This short trailer has proved too much for most audiences in the USA. Watch it with caution, but remember it and with luck, you might even watch the movie, which is available on Amazon and now on my Movies page. According to Klimov, the film was so shocking for audiences that ambulances were sometimes called…
Uprising
Well worth a look during this month when I am going to finish the first novel in the Right to Live trilogy.