Ritchie\’s reported a man to the police for a passing joke:
A PRESENTER on Manx Radio has been reported to police after making inflammatory comments on air during a live broadcast on Monday.
UK tax expert Richard Murphy told the Examiner he has reported the matter to police after presenter Stu Peters appeared to call for his assassination on Mr Peters’s Monday afternoon programme last week.
During the broadcast, Mr Peters said: ‘In the Isle of Man we are like a family and we can squabble amongst ourselves but we don’t like it when other people throw rocks at us and there’s this bloke from this Tax Justice Network, Richard Murphy, who is constantly having pops at the Isle of Man and the tax regime here to the point where we are all really rather bored of it to the point where we wish there was a wet ops department in the government that could go and take him out.’
Mr Murphy, who is director of Tax Research LLP, said he was contacting police in Douglas and the UK about the matter.
‘We have a situation where a football manager [Celtic’s Neil Lennon] is receiving bombs through the post so if passions can run high about that, passions can run high about tax as well,’ he said, adding: ‘I take this pretty seriously.’
Mr Murphy, who has been the focus of criticism from some quarters in the Isle of Man for his criticism of the taxation system here, said he had cancelled a planned visit to the island.
‘My address could easily be found and some idiot could act on this,’ he said.
YVMV but it does seem a tad over the top.
Only somebody really full of himself could take this, this way. When you are righteous crusader evil people hate you…
He ought to come here (the Basque Country), where in recent years more than 1,000 people have had to have between 2 and 4 bodyguards just to go about their lives, ‘cos there is a real danger of them receiving a bullet in the back of the neck when they pick their kids up from school.
“My address could easily be found and some idiot could act on this”
Isn’t the word ‘idiot’ a bit presumptuous?
“Mr Murphy, who has been the focus of criticism from some quarters in the Isle of Man for his criticism of the taxation system here, said he had cancelled a planned visit to the island.”
Cue massive sigh of relief from the islanders!
“Only somebody really full of himself could take this, this way. “
QED
Of course, nothing Murphy likes more than getting his name in the papers, and this guarantees yet more column inches.
I feel sorry for the police, who will now have to go through the motions and attampt to appease the attention-seeking wacko.
I’m available, and charge reasonable rates!
Back off, newbie!
What are you saying is over the top – Stuart Peters’ comment or him reporting it?
Comparing himself to Neil Lennon is also over the top. Passions aren’t running high over football, there’s a lot more going on in that particular situation.
Paul, when have the facts of the matter ever intruded on Ritchie Boy?
Beware of chambermaids, Murph: they are a risk for high profile, internationally renowned, leading economists and public figures. Ho yuss.
“‘My address could easily be found and some idiot could act on this,'”
There’s only one idiot in the piece and it ain’t the potential “assassin”.
Thinking about it, the football comparison is not valid and is truly presumptious.
As the late great Bill shankly said:
‘Football is not a matter of life and death, it’s more important than that’ or something to that effect.
Some resident scouser will correct me I hope.
‘We have a situation where a football manager [Celtic’s Neil Lennon] is receiving bombs through the post so if passions can run high about that, passions can run high about tax as well.’
No words…
New keyboard please.
As someone who actually lives on the Isle of Man, we have a real problem with Ritchie.
It was his continual ranting about us being a ‘tax haven’* that caused the UK to restructure the VAT sharing agreement to the detriment of about 100 million pounds per year.
* The Isle of Man isn’t a tax haven, we have most of the same taxes as the UK, just the rates are lower). This is because we can’t operate a deficit as we would go bust, hence we have no debt to speak of unlike the UK.
Richie is following the classic procedure of the “offended” – get the police involved quickly and get in there first.
It doesn’t matter if the offence is only in his mind and no one elses – a hate crime does not need evidence it just needs the victim to feel as if they are the target of a hate crime.
What it does show is that Richard J Murphy is one extreme religous zealot who will use all possible avenues to pursue his goal.
Anyone up for a fatwa?
This also reminds me of a similar comment made in jest about Yasmin Alibhai-Brown.
Her reaction (being a typical member of the liberal* elite) – yup. Straight on the phone to plod about “threats to her life”.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2010/nov/11/tory-councillor-tweet-yasmin-alibhai-brown-arrested.
It seems to me that Mr. Murphy’s actions have done nothing to stop people finding his address, and may have done a little to give them an incentive to do so. Or does he assume that only rich buggers like him can afford to travel between IOM and the mainland- and that there are no rich people on the Island. Sounds like the sort of error he usually makes!
Is he “Salman Ritchie” now?
do we know his IP address? can we set up a continual spam download?
do we know his IP address? can we set up a continual spam download?
Better yet, has he said/done something that we can report him to the police for?
Let’s dig for victory.
Ritchie’s neighbours are getting upset so can nobody else call round:
http://s196.photobucket.com/albums/aa267/walstraat/2005%20Dickens/?action=view¤t=Queue.jpg&mediafilter=images
Actually, perhaps the presenter really did just mean take him out. A good night on the town is probably just what anally retentive Ritchie needs.
RichardJMurphy – grow up!
“Better yet, has he said/done something that we can report him to the police for”
Someonce once reported him to the council for non payment of business rates I think. Unfortunately I think he claimed a let out on some technicality, and of course it wouldn’t be dealt with by the police anyway.
I think DocBud has nailed it.
When the presenter said ‘wet ops department’ he probably meant the department which is involved with visits to ‘wet led establishments’ (which I understand is newspeak for pubs and bars).