My title will be even more incomprehensible to my foreign readers than usual and I apologise. This blog prides itself on its international flavour but occasionally parochial village-pump matters loom large. For the benefit of the uninitiated, "'Arry" is Harry Redknapp, currently the manager of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, a 'right gor blimey' East Ender, beloved by the nation irrespective of whether or not they be 'footie' fans.
Five years ago it was brought to the attention of our less-than-beloved tax authorities, Her Majesty's Inland Revenue and Customs (HMRIC), that our 'Arry 'ad (oooops, sorry, it's difficult to avoid using 'Arry's, I mean Harry's, estuary English) . . . our Harry had over a hundred grand in a bank account in Monaco, well, as you do! Anyway, these pecksniffs and upstarts (and probable Arsenal fans, too!) from HMIRC reckoned 'Arry was trying to dodge paying his tax - I know, I know, such impudence! Anyway, this case, which in actual lost tax terms was worth about £60k went on and on and on for five years costing, I guess, several million quid. Eventually, it ended up in court and today, as anyone could have told them years ago, a jury cleared our 'Arry of all wrong doing. Quite apart from the fact that our 'Arry is beyond all doubt a man of utmost honesty and rectitude, even if theoretically you caught him in broad daylight robbing his local newsagent, no jury in England would ever find him guilty of anything! Everyone in England, with the exception of the brain-dead morons in HMIRC who probably play rugby, hence their brain damage, loves our 'Arry.
"costing, I guess, several million quid."
The BBC said 8 million on the PM programme today.
What a funny old world football is. Lying to the taxman about where you have salted away your money is dishonesty. Calling a player a "black c**t" is a manifest truth, yet who is in worse trouble?
Posted by: Whyaxye | Wednesday, 08 February 2012 at 23:13
"Lying to the taxman about where you have salted away your money is dishonesty."
No doubt it was the lateness of the hour, 'W', that inedvertently led you to forget to make absolutely clear that your were simply writing in general terms and that our 'Arry was definitely not lying to the taxman!
Your main point is incontrovertible.
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 08:42
Absolutely, and thank you for reminding me to express myself clearly. Lying to the taxman was of course what Mr. Redknapp was accused of, whereas it is now a matter of official record and my considered opinion that he did no such thing.
Posted by: Whyaxye | Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 08:54
Can't meself understand why the extremely well paid barristers employed by HMRC apparently made no mention or enquiry into the means of funding of the lovable 'Arrys property empire in & around Sandbanks - one of the most expensive housing areas in England !
Kind regards
Posted by: david morris | Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 16:14
Well paid barristers employed by government departments are never noted for making enquiries, it's hard enough finding the time to bill out their hours!
Posted by: David Duff | Thursday, 09 February 2012 at 17:17