High pressures squeeze and crush, but low pressures damage too. Losing the atom-level buzz that keeps us held safe in the balance of internal and external pressure releases dangerous storms, disorientation and pain, write ROX MIDDLETON, LIAM SHAW and MIRIAM GAUNTLETT
Latest editorial
Google woos the Tories to avoid paying a reasonable amount of tax
The tech giant has developed a formula for avoiding the increasing demands it pay a legitimate amount back on its mega-profits, explains SOLOMON HUGHES
EDMUND GRIFFITHS makes a robust defence of sortition, the chosen method of picking attendees for the new left party’s inaugural conference from the membership at random, but sounds the alarm on the eye-watering number of suggested delegates
The NEU kept children and teachers safe during the pandemic, yet we are disgracefully slandered by the politicians who have truly failed our children by not funding a proper education recovery programme — here’s what is needed, explains KEVIN COURTNEY
The appalling bigotry and bias of London’s police force has been obvious for years – and the police leadership does not appear inclined to do anything about it, writes CLAUDIA WEBBE
As Holyrood elections approach, BRIAN LEISHMAN MP argues that Labour’s time has come — to open a new chapter which puts an end to the years of managed decline
ASSAF TALGAM talks to an Israeli Communist lawmaker about the need to use every tool of democratic and non-violent struggle; how Israeli society has changed since October 7 2023; and the persecution of the left in the parliamentary arena
GOOGLE, like other tech firms, is facing real political pressure over content, regulation and taxations.
So it is turning to standard lobbying techniques, which were very visible at the recent Conservative conference.
The three basic techniques are (1) hire political insiders, (2) promise self-regulation to head off real regulation and (3) promise/threaten to give/take jobs and investment.
Campaigners from UK Uncut and campaigning journalists have put tax avoidance by big corporations on the political agenda.
The long years of austerity have added pressure: welfare spending is being cut while rich corporations don’t seem to be paying their fair share. The tech firms are often very involved in shifting money to lower-tax countries, because their product seems more “invisible” and so easier to shift around the accounts.
So Google paid £49.3 million tax this year. It sounds a lot until you know its UK sales are worth around £5.7 billion. Lots of its UK income is shifted to other countries, including lower-tax nations like Ireland.
The pressure on Google over tax has had some results — in 2016 Google agreed to pay £130m in back taxes, although the deal George Osborne struck with the firm was widely considered too small.
On content, Google is accused of giving access to hateful, racist and misogynist material on the internet.
It is also accused of giving access to “fake news” — disinformation from “hyper-partisan” websites or Russian mischief-makers.
Google runs both its search engine and video-sharing website YouTube. It has been accused of hosting or giving access to bad content on both.
MPs have become very serious about regulating “hate speech” and “fake news” on the web, not least because they personally feel they have been victims of both.
I think the general public take the issue of tech tax-avoidance more seriously, but in either case, there is gathering pressure for regulating and taxing the tech giants. Google, for its part, really doesn’t want to spend money policing its bits of the web, or spend money on more taxation.
So it is spending more money on lobbying. Step one is hiring political insiders, so they can help win over their friends still in government.
More from this author
The new angle from private firms shmoozing their way into public contracts was the much-trumpeted arrival of ‘artificial intelligence’ — and no-one seemed to have heard the numerous criticisms of this unproven miracle cure, reports SOLOMON HUGHES
It is rather strange that Labour continues to give prestigious roles to inappropriate, controversy-mired businessmen who are also major Tory donors. What could Labour possibly be hoping to get out of it, asks SOLOMON HUGHES
Keir Starmer’s hiring Tim Allan from Tory-led Strand Partners is another illustration of Labour’s corporate-influence world where party differences matter less than business connections, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
MBDA’s Alabama factory makes components for Boeing’s GBU-39 bombs used to kill civilians in Gaza. Its profits flow through Stevenage to Paris — and it is one of the British government’s favourite firms, reveals SOLOMON HUGHES
