HAS THE LABOUR PARTY LEADER EDWARD MILLIBAND LOST HIS POLITICAL WAY OR IS HE SIMPLY OUT OF HIS DEPTH?

Why does our leadership when attacking the Coalition Government in parliament not concentrate on the obvious strong points. My reading of the situation is as follows: -

• Tax havens have declared war on honest, law-abiding peoples around the world.
• Wealthy Individuals hold over ten trillion dollars offshore.
• Tax havens are the most important single reason why poor people and poor countries stay poor.
• Britain and the Unites States are the world's two most important tax havens.
• Six of the world's top ten tax havens are registered with the City of London.

Could we not bring the attention of the electorate to the following and propose to correct this situation by repealing the 1690 Act.

The City has carved out for itself privilege after privilege, in order to ensure that the rules governing the rest of Britain stop at the City borders. The Statute of William and Mary from 1690, for example, "confirming the Privileges of the Corporation" states: -

All the charters, grants, letters patents, and commissions touching or concerning any of their liberties or franchises, immunities, lands, tenements and hereditaments, rights, titles, or estates of the mayor and commonalty and citizens of the City of London, made or granted to any person or persons whatsoever be and are hereby declared and adjudged null and void to all intents.

Some laws made in Westminister does apply to the Corporation, but many acts of Parliament specifically exempt it, either fully or in part. Hence the City is connected to the British nation state but remains a constitutional elsewhere.

My contention is that if tax was paid by the 73 billionaires registered with the City and if the millionaires, of which there are 45,000 of which only 6,000 pay tax, and 98 of the FTSE 100 are registered "offshore". If these individuals paid tax we would collect at least another £40 billion per year and company taxation would give us even more. This would go a considerable way towards funding our present deficit. No tax increases, no job cuts. What is the problem? Blair, Cameron, and Osborne have their funds "Offshore" that is the problem.

Keith C