Comments on: We’re not barred by Barclays are we?

By: Spike

Spike — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 07:18:47 +0000

“Where I would be careful is with the whole issue of legal privilege. Where tax advice is provided by lawyers, there’s an ongoing debate about whether this advice is protected by legal privilege (personally, I find it rather a ridiculous position to take in most cases), but it is a real risk.”

Legal privilege protects confidential advice given by a lawyer from being used as evidence in court against the recipient. So what is the risk to individuals who have no intention of using it in court?

The only risks I can identify are: (i) the person disclosing it either being sued (as the Guardian was) or (ii) being fined for contempt of court for breach of the court order.

By: Gareth Winchester

Gareth Winchester — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:28:50 +0000

@jemimakiss This is a good a place as any to start http://is.gd/oNja Also #barclaysmemos

[Original tweet]

By: Allan Edwards

Allan Edwards — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:30:54 +0000

this sort of thing? http://tinyurl.com/cbgqdc

[Original tweet]

By: Gareth Winchester

Gareth Winchester — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 16:28:50 +0000

@jemimakiss This is a good a place as any to start http://is.gd/oNja Also #barclaysmemos

[Original tweet]

By: Cabalamat

Cabalamat — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:59:20 +0000

Unfortunately Wikileaks is overloaded — if anyone has the document can they email them to me (cabalamat@googlemail.com) so I can host them on my server.

By: Cabalamat

Cabalamat — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:58:14 +0000

Link also up on Amused Cynicism.

By: Guardian/Barclays documents up on Wikileaks « Amused Cynicism

Guardian/Barclays documents up on Wikileaks « Amused Cynicism — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:55:52 +0000

[...] link to Wikileaks is being published by Liberal Conspiracy, and these other blogs:Andrew Grant-Adamson, newsjiffy, septicisle, John Band, Richard Murphy / Tax [...]

By: Falco

Falco — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 03:31:34 +0000

“Have Barclays actually done anything illegal?”

Not so far as we can tell in relation to this issue.

Please, for the love of f*ck, tell me you are aware of the blatant gall of the Grauniad criticising people for tax avoidance when they also have similarly legal but highly effective tax strategies, (and are laying people off).

By: Jump You Fuckers- Americans Fight back- while we…….. « Centurean2’s Weblog

Sat, 21 Mar 2009 17:34:56 +0000

[...] Sunny Hundal is trying to get loads of blogs to link to the full papers – after all, we haven’t had injunctions taken out to prevent us from doing so. The documents are here. [...]

By: Charlie

Charlie — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:03:54 +0000

Brown has increased the complexity of tax legislation which may have made evasion easier.

By: Claude

Claude — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 23:40:51 +0000

Hagley Road to Ladywood joins you guys.
http://mymarilyn.blogspot.com/2009/03/having-barclays.html

By: John H

John H — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:22:47 +0000

What really shocks me is the complexity of the proposals and the poor quality of the briefing memos. I would really like to know how long the Barclays Approvals committee spent considering this or if it was a rubber stamp. How well resourced is the committee? Does it obtain independent advice?

This is important as it drives to banks risk management.

By: What A Pile of Bankers! « ModernityBlog

What A Pile of Bankers! « ModernityBlog — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:05:58 +0000

[...] Sunny breaks the leak. [...]

By: modernityblog

modernityblog — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:02:21 +0000

Add me too

By: Andrew Adams

Andrew Adams — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:51:53 +0000

One hopes that if Barclays are forced either by legal or moral pressure to pay more tax that they won’t start laying people off to pay for it.

The amount Barclays has saved in tax is estimated at £1bn. Their profit for 2008 was £4.3bn. I don’t think that any claim that they are forced to lay off staff will get much sympathy.

By: Sean

Sean — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:02:51 +0000

http://errorgorilla.tumblr.com/post/88228627/barclays-lawyers-might-have-succeeded-in-gagging

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 17:00:06 +0000

One hopes that if Barclays are forced either by legal or moral pressure to pay more tax that they won’t start laying people off to pay for it.

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:58:11 +0000

Have Barclays actually done anything illegal?

By: Sunny Hundal

Sunny Hundal — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:43:21 +0000

added, thanks! keep em’ coming!

We can’t let the real tax scroungers get away with it.

By: Andrew Adams

Andrew Adams — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:03:14 +0000

Done http://www.mutantblog.co.uk/?p=69

By: The Barclays links « Max Dunbar

The Barclays links « Max Dunbar — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:30:18 +0000

[...] Sunny Hundal is trying to get loads of blogs to link to the full papers – after all, we haven’t had injunctions taken out to prevent us from doing so. The documents are here. [...]

By: The Barclays links « Shiraz Socialist

The Barclays links « Shiraz Socialist — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 15:29:11 +0000

[...] Sunny Hundal is trying to get loads of blogs to link to the full papers – after all, we haven’t had injunctions taken out to prevent us from doing so. The documents are here. [...]

By: Fellow Traveller

Fellow Traveller — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:50:32 +0000

Sounds like the al-jazeera memo all over again.

But no one recalls that affair even though two men went to prison because of it.

By: Economic Roundup, Friday 20th March 2009 - Common Endeavour

Economic Roundup, Friday 20th March 2009 - Common Endeavour — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:17:52 +0000

[...] First up let’s start with people at Barclays, your corresondent reckons that they will rue the day they chose the Sultan’s shekel over the Queen’s shilling. For now they seem desperate to raise cash and have got in almighty scrap with the Guardian over tax avoidance. Sunny has more. [...]

By: Leon

Leon — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:42:07 +0000

Aaron’s done a post: http://tygerland.net/2009/03/20/barclays-memos-online/