U2 to face tax protest at gig in Glastonbury

Complainer said:
Because Bono's hypocrisy crosses borders. As does his income stream.
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Is it your opinion that being rich disqualifies people from the right to social comment?
Be careful because the gap between Bono and you (and I) is less in real terms than the gap between us and the people Bono is seeking to help.

In short, one doesn’t have to be a middleclass suburbanite socialist to be an activist; in fact you don’t even have to be a socialist to have a social conscience.
 
zxcvbnm said:
Bono is not in anyway hypocritical on this issue. That's some soundbite that people throw out but under scrutiny it doesn't stack up at all.
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We don't all get (or want or need) the ego-massaging that goes with choosing where our good works get done. We pay tax, and it gets spend on public services and (in small part) overseas aid. Bono avoids paying tax, drops a few crumbs from his fulsome table and lords it up in front of the cameras with Clinton, Blair and other egotists pretending to be the saviour of the world. Any man who appears in ads for American Express and Louis Vitton while pretending to care about those who are starving is a hypocrite.
 
He pays far more tax than you or me. One of the businesses he is a major shareholder in moved its domicile to Holland to minimise its corporation tax bill. You seem to have a problem with wealthy people.

Where's the link between American Express and Louis Vitton and Starvation?
What world leaders do you think do more for the third world than Clinton or Blair? Obviously you must be a fan of George W Bush considering all he did for AIDS in Africa.
 

Dont know how you manage to type with that chip on your shoulder. I would love to know how you can say that because Bono appears in a few ads, he is 'pretending' to care about those who are starving. I dont particulary like Bono but I never doubted his dedication to this cause. Would it make you feel better if he took a vow of poverty and went off to work with the missionaries?
 
Sunny said:
Would it make you feel better if he took a vow of poverty and went off to work with the missionaries?
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It would make me feel better if he either;

1) Paid his fair share of taxes and let Governments get on with providing public services, or
2) Stopped preaching to Governments about how to spend their dwindling funds.

Take your pick, little man (if you're reading this, which I seriously doubt).
 

He does pay is fair share of taxes, as decided by the government of this country. I fully accept that you may well know better but unfortunately 'till we all wise up and put you in charge then that's the way it's going to stay.

So here’s your choice;
1) Accept that the man is tax compliant and so pays his fair share of taxes as required under the law of this land or
2) Admit that you just have a chip on your shoulder and are looking for more than just a personal dislike to justify your feelings.

Take your pick, if your reading this, (which I seriousy doubt since I'm on your ignore list )
 

Yikedy yikes your vitriol is outstanding. I can't stand Bono but you take the biscuit. I mean come on he's just a pop star why so much hatred?
 

Wow !!That is pretty spiteful alright. Haven't seen anything like that in a while.

Pretends to care about those that are starving?? Nasty.
 
Purple said:
BTW, I ended up watching about an hour of the gig last night. It was excellent.
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+1

I managed just 40 minutes before the Mrs threw a strop, but have the whole coverage recorded. As an Irish Times [broken link removed] said today, there's a lot to be said for U2 focussing on their back catalogue.
 
TarfHead said:
+1

I managed just 40 minutes before the Mrs threw a strop, but have the whole coverage recorded. As an Irish Times [broken link removed] said today, there's a lot to be said for U2 focussing on their back catalogue.
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Lets be honest, their last few CDs have proved that they are on the decline artistically. Their old work is their best work, so play what people like I say.
 
Complainer said:
"Of large size or quantity; generous or abundant" ???
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Depends on which resource you trust . The original meaning is "excessively complimentary or flattering’'. However, this term has become so extensively misused by people thinking they're using a derivation of the word 'full' that many dictionaries have given up and allow the misuse to become acceptable.

So, in your opinion, Bono has an excessively complimentary or flattering table ?
 
Most of the Merriam Webster definitions apply to Bono or his table, e.g.

a : characterized by abundance : copious <describes in fulsome detail — G. N. Shuster> <fulsome bird life. The feeder overcrowded — Maxine Kumin> b : generous in amount, extent, or spirit <the passengers were fulsome in praise of the plane's crew — Don Oliver> <a fulsome victory for the far left — Bruce Rothwell> <the greetings have been fulsome, the farewells tender — Simon Gray> c : being full and well developed <she was in generally fulsome, limpid voice — Thor Eckert, Jr.>
2
: aesthetically, morally, or generally offensive <fulsome lies and nauseous flattery — William Congreve> <the devil take thee for a…fulsome rogue — George Villiers>

3
: exceeding the bounds of good taste : overdone <the fulsome chromium glitter of the escalators dominating the central hall — Lewis Mumford>

4
: excessively complimentary or flattering : effusive <an admiration whose extent I did not express, lest I be thought fulsome — A. J. Liebling>
 
Just getting back to the original issue of this thread.
The fact of the matter is that u2 are fully tax compliant.

With those people protesting they are effectively saying to u2 "We know you have paid your taxes and are fully tax compliant but is there any chance you will give us some more of your cash anyway because we are kind of skint"!

It's a bit cheeky to ask someone that don't you think? Basically begging.
And to protest in the manner they did (i.e. effectively go begging so publicly) was just pathetic.

And given that they are not even irish makes them absolute idiots !
They are basically begging on behalf of irish people. Irish people that never asked them to in the first place. !!

To sum up - i would deem them pathetic idiots.

And for the record - it most definitely did not go down hill after joshua tree.
Achtung baby was their best album. And zooropa after that was also brilliant.

'All that you can't leave behind' was also a great album - although not as good as their best going by their high standards.But still a quality album nonetheless.
 

Good post Bono!
 
I'm not even a fan of U2, but I can't hold the tax issue against them too much. I am a fan of the Beatles and Rolling Stones and they did the exact same thing and the surviving band members continue to do the exact same thing, and I don't blame them either.

There's much more to it than a few record sales and or live fees. You have stuff like 3 nights at Croke Park sold out. There's lots of tax made there. Then there's those who stayed in hotels. Bit more tax there. They went to pubs, bars, restaurants, shopping. Bit more tax there. They needed fuel for the car, bit more there too.

Music on that scale generates sales, generates tax.

But you've other issues to consider: who does their album art? Who does the mastering? Where is it recorded? If that's in Ireland, then there's a bit more tax for you.

Huge sales at HMV or other record shop? Sales tax, plus wages of employees paid, plus rents, plus corporation tax, plus local authority fees.

And yes, I hate the preaching Bono does as much as every one else, but before I get the blood angered I'd just like to know:

If U2 where based here how much tax would they have had to pay to the exchequer?

If U2 didn't exist, how much money would the country have lost?

How do those two numbers compare?

How many more records can one band make with the guitarist playing one chord for every song?
 
Latrade said:
And yes, I hate the preaching Bono does as much as every one else,
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I think thats the nub of the problem. Bono likes to preach.
It's my recollection that Bono used one of U2's concerts in Ireland to complain that the Irish government was not meeting it's agreed obligation to donate a certain % of income to third world causes. Then when the government introduced a policy that would (in theory) increase their tax take, U2 moved their business to Holland, therefore depriving the government of it's tax. I think he tried to justify it at the time by saying something along the lines of "People expect their rock stars to live a lavish lifestyle".
In the grand scheme of things it won't make a difference but if you're going to use your position as a celebrity to make a protest then you leave yourself open public scrutiny.

The irony is of course, that if Bono wasn't interested in causes such as third world debt, he wouldn't be leaving himself open to accusations of hyprocisy.
 
zxcvbnm said:
With those people protesting they are effectively saying to u2 "We know you have paid your taxes and are fully tax compliant but is there any chance you will give us some more of your cash anyway because we are kind of skint"!
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Nope, you're missing the point.

What they are saying is 'Would you ever stop lecturing us all about HOW the Govt spends its taxes when you're doing everything you can to reduce the amount of money available to the Govt to spend."
 
Complainer said:
Nope, you're missing the point.

What they are saying is 'Would you ever stop lecturing us all about HOW the Govt spends its taxes when you're doing everything you can to reduce the amount of money available to the Govt to spend."
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I take advantage of every tax break/entitlement I can. I only pay the taxes I absolutely have to. The only difference is scale. The only difference is that Bono and U2 have contributed more to the tax take than I ever will and probably all in one go with one gig/album release.
 
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