Lets Hope This Is A Joke

[DGordon1]

Honestly, I found the Glastonbury protest to be ridiculous. From what I've heard, the protesters held up signs that were blocking the view of many people at the festival. They were also, from what I've heard, being very loud and disrupting the performance. I think it's one thing to protest outside of the venue, but protesting inside especially when people have paid a lot of money to go in and see the show, well, it's ridiculous. I'd be super pissed if I paid good money to see an artist only to have someone's sign messing up my view.

Ironically enough, the U2 concert I went to last summer did have protesters who were basically calling us devil worshippers for going to a Rock and Roll concert (their words, not mine). They were pretty loud and rowdy outside of the stadium, but were allowed to carry on with it. Sort of funny considering that out of all the secular bands people could see live, U2's one of the most spiritually-relatable ones.

The unemployment rate here in Michigan is pretty close to that number. Lots of longterm unemployed here, too. Like you mention, many are forced to leave things behind and take up a job wherever they can get it. It sucks, but that's the reality of the economy today in many places. Either move for employment or strike it out on your own by starting a business.

I just find it hard to condemn U2 for the supposed "tax evasion" thing until we've heard all the facts. We don't know that they're even residing in Ireland anymore. We don't know how much of their money is made outside of Ireland. We don't know how much they're paying in taxes in other countries. It's one thing if they're residents of Ireland and refusing to pay taxes that they should be paying. It's another if they've simply chosen to move their operations to another country.

All 4 of them have permanent homes in Ireland. While I totally accept tax and business can be a grey area in a global economy, the point here is a moral one.

Avoid taxes all you want, I couldn't care less. But don't moralise about what the Irish government should be doing and don't moralise about social justice when you're playing the system like everyone else.

This is why so many people dislike bono and co. You and I can argue the toss all we want but he is a very unpopular man outside of is forum - and not just because of those ridiculous sunglasses he insists on wearing.

Oh lookie, another name change. I find it interesting that you embark on a quest of constant anonymity in this forum.

[Sugarcube]

Honestly, I found the Glastonbury protest to be ridiculous. From what I've heard, the protesters held up signs that were blocking the view of many people at the festival. They were also, from what I've heard, being very loud and disrupting the performance. I think it's one thing to protest outside of the venue, but protesting inside especially when people have paid a lot of money to go in and see the show, well, it's ridiculous. I'd be super pissed if I paid good money to see an artist only to have someone's sign messing up my view.

Ironically enough, the U2 concert I went to last summer did have protesters who were basically calling us devil worshippers for going to a Rock and Roll concert (their words, not mine). They were pretty loud and rowdy outside of the stadium, but were allowed to carry on with it. Sort of funny considering that out of all the secular bands people could see live, U2's one of the most spiritually-relatable ones.

The unemployment rate here in Michigan is pretty close to that number. Lots of longterm unemployed here, too. Like you mention, many are forced to leave things behind and take up a job wherever they can get it. It sucks, but that's the reality of the economy today in many places. Either move for employment or strike it out on your own by starting a business.

I just find it hard to condemn U2 for the supposed "tax evasion" thing until we've heard all the facts. We don't know that they're even residing in Ireland anymore. We don't know how much of their money is made outside of Ireland. We don't know how much they're paying in taxes in other countries. It's one thing if they're residents of Ireland and refusing to pay taxes that they should be paying. It's another if they've simply chosen to move their operations to another country.

All 4 of them have permanent homes in Ireland. While I totally accept tax and business can be a grey area in a global economy, the point here is a moral one.

Avoid taxes all you want, I couldn't care less. But don't moralise about what the Irish government should be doing and don't moralise about social justice when you're playing the system like everyone else.

This is why so many people dislike bono and co. You and I can argue the toss all we want but he is a very unpopular man outside of is forum - and not just because of those ridiculous sunglasses he insists on wearing.

Oh lookie, another name change. I find it interesting that you embark on a quest of constant anonymity in this forum.

Why is that interesting?

[Tumbling Dice]

I can see the 'topic' of this thread has been genetically altered. So we have this 'tax-evasion' thing here. U2 refuses to pay the Irish government their taxes and so start bashing them all you can (especially Bono). Just wanna remind you guys, do a little research and see how much U2 have done for Ireland in the past: Self Aid, etc. Before you start bashing anyone look at their history, even right now Adam Clayton is doing something about Irish youths being driven to suicide. It's so easy for people to start bashing others. How about 'thanking' them when they do something that you can't? tigerfan's right, you can't solve anything by complaining about it. You gotta ask yourself "what am I doing for my country?" Peace!

I know that for over 20 years when Ireland was a tax haven for wealthy artists, U2 didn't mind paying all their taxes in their home country, which doesn't really surprise me because they saved a fortune in tax that they would have paid had they lived in the the UK or the US during that time.  So U2 did very nicely out of Ireland for a long time.  Then the Irish government decides that wealthy artists should pay the same tax on their royalties as any other business pays on its income, and they're off.  Like Dreamlover says, my real complaint about U2 - and Bono in particular - isn't about the tax avoidance of fat cats like U2, it is about the hypocrisy of Bono's moralising and exhortations for governments to spend more of taxpayers money on foreign aid, even during U2 concerts.

[mattressjedi]

Yeah, Bono's preaching gets old. It's laid on too thick.

Shut up and sing.
They could probably play 30 songs in their set if Bono wasn't Gabby Abbey half of the show.

[Tumbling Dice]

Yeah, Bono's preaching gets old. It's laid on too thick.

Shut up and sing.
They could probably play 30 songs in their set if Bono wasn't Gabby Abbey half of the show.

The speech before One on the Vertigo tour wound me up the most by using a U2 tour to campaign for Bono's pet cause.  "We don't want your money, we want your voices"; yeah, the public can exhort their politicians to spend more of their taxes on foreign aid, but of course, if the little people were able to avoid taxes like the fat cats, there wouldn't be much money left to spend on foreign aid.

[mattressjedi]

Yeah, Bono's preaching gets old. It's laid on too thick.

Shut up and sing.
They could probably play 30 songs in their set if Bono wasn't Gabby Abbey half of the show.

The speech before One on the Vertigo tour wound me up the most by using a U2 tour to campaign for Bono's pet cause.  "We don't want your money, we want your voices"; yeah, the public can exhort their politicians to spend more of their taxes on foreign aid, but of course, if the little people were able to avoid taxes like the fat cats, there wouldn't be much money left to spend on foreign aid.

Yeah, Elevation and Vertigo both had way too much speechifying from Bono.

The band needs to ask him to take a step back.

[Sugarcube]

Yeah, Bono's preaching gets old. It's laid on too thick.

Shut up and sing.
They could probably play 30 songs in their set if Bono wasn't Gabby Abbey half of the show.

The speech before One on the Vertigo tour wound me up the most by using a U2 tour to campaign for Bono's pet cause.  "We don't want your money, we want your voices"; yeah, the public can exhort their politicians to spend more of their taxes on foreign aid, but of course, if the little people were able to avoid taxes like the fat cats, there wouldn't be much money left to spend on foreign aid.

Yeah, Elevation and Vertigo both had way too much speechifying from Bono.

The band needs to ask him to take a step back.

Yeah, although the white mask fiasco during Walk On during the 360 tour was a low point even for Arnie