Taxes and Tory lies

And one simple fact proves what a whopping falsehood it is - ending offshore tax avoidance alone would raise enough money to fund all the benefits that the Tory toffs are stealing from us.

It's within the Prime Minister's power to raise hundreds of billions at the stroke of a pen by closing loopholes, cracking down on tax havens and making the likes of Amazon and Starbucks pay their fair share.

But instead David Cameron has set himself the tiny target of recouping just £568 million by 2016, effectively conceding defeat to the tax avoiders without firing a shot.

On top of that he's costing us billions more by slashing jobs at HM Revenue and Customs and leaving inspectors without the time to bring tax avoiders to justice.

If the PM has the brass neck to trot out his ragged "all in it together" slogan one more time then these tax figures are enough to silence him.

It's clear that he and his millionaire mates are just out to loot the British Treasury for everything they can carry before they're booted out of power.

Class war

Today's strike at Redhill school highlights the depth of opposition to academies among teachers and parents alike - and the Con-Dems' dogmatic determination to push the plans through no matter what.

This is only the latest of dozens of strikes across England against what amounts to forced privatisation of our schools.

Teachers in school after school have taken a brave stand against a sustained campaign of bullying and bribery led by a minister hell-bent on destroying state education.

Michael Gove's pet project has no support and no legitimacy. It has nothing to do with raising education standards. It is simply aimed at opening up schools for exploitation by his pals in the private sector as part of a long-term plan to dismantle state provision entirely.

Teachers and parents need the support of everyone who believes that public services belong in the public sector as they fight Gove and his hated plans tooth and nail.

Foul play

Awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup was always a terrible decision. It was iffy for footballing reasons alone, indefensible for political reasons - and deeply suspect, given the corruption allegations which have repeatedly been levelled at the decision-making process.

Nevertheless, gay fans were divided over holding the Cup in a country where homosexuality is punishable by flogging and up to five years in prison.

The Gay Football Supporters Network called for a total boycott but the anti-homophobia Justin Campaign argued: "We should encourage LGBT people to go over to Qatar and rub salt in the wounds."

It is time to revisit the issue in light of revelations that Qatar - a notorious bastion of modern-day slavery - has broken promises to Fifa that it would clean up its act.

No supporter with any conscience can defend the prospect of £200,000-a-week Premier League megastars strutting their stuff in stadiums built by forced labour and soaked in the blood of hundreds of dead workers.

England's fans and players alike should boycott Qatar 2022.