Interesting bit on Rishi Sunak's wife on the BBC website. Like many, I believe the couple's exploitation of her non-dom. status is totally wrong and agree with Baggieal that donating some of their vast wealth to charities or to help the most vulnerable here would certainly help the public perception of them. But this article hints at another side.
I suspect that the exploitation of any available legal tax loop holes is common practice for a lot of high earners, however morally reprehensible, but it becomes far more damaging and indefensible when such individuals then seek political office, especially that of PM. May be nothing legally wrong but raises moral questions. Sunak won't be the first, or last, politician to take advantage but it is just the sheer scale of the family's personal wealth that draws attention to it.
But I also think that there is an element of wealth envy at play here -and I include myself in this. A very great many work bloody hard all their lives and struggle financially for a variety of reasons and when you look around at the vast un-even-ness in the distribution of wealth there is bound to be degrees of resentment. Not everyone has "earnt" their wealth with hard graft or not gained it at the expense of others for example. But life isn't "fair" and maybe we are guilty of not seeing beyond the money sometimes. The more important thing perhaps is -as with everyone-not how much money you have but what you do with it, how you behave and what your values are.
The BBC is often accused of being too left leaning but the article may interest some. Bottom line is that you cannot have that amount of wealth and remain "ordinary" -but you can still try to have certain values. Her father-who made the family wealth-disliked the caste system and so continued to clean the family toilet himself as a symbol of support and tried to live as simple a life as possible and pass these values on to his children. Having such wealth obviously makes it impossible not to have advantages but Akshata Murty is, by all accounts, a genuinely nice lady and many who know the couple speak of how well liked they both are even if they are on the other side of the political spectrum. As one stated, you can't live in a Yorkshire farming community and get away with having airs and graces.
You can clean your own toilet or go shopping at your local Tesco as much as you like of course, but you can never really live a "normal" life with that much money nor truly understand the financial pressures that many others have but I guess sometimes having such wealth just makes you an easy target in itself. Surely, for example, taking the time to personally make cups of tea and delivering them and biscuits to waiting journalists is more a reflection on her character than the fact that she used rather more expensive bespoke mugs for which some criticised her.
Given the circumstances perhaps Akshata Murty is doing her best. Maybe they do give monies to charities without shouting about it, who knows?. Certainly disagree with the non-dom. thing and think they could do themselves a big favour by making a more public gesture by donating some of their personal wealth to help the more vulnerable at this time but , despite his money and traditional Tory beliefs, I do think that Sunak does have a social conscience. And maybe his wife isn't the out of touch "rich bitch" she is sometimes demonized as. That still won't change the fact that they will be immune to the further looming "austerity" cuts that her husband and the Tories will unleash upon the country, but maybe the article might give a more balanced view of them.
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Originally Posted by mickd1961
In all seriousness hating someone who is loaded is pathetic!!! I would never ever be envious of anyone! Good luck to someone who is loaded.
empty cult of "influencers" spawned by social media also earn unwarranted amounts. In one way, of course, good luck to them for finding an easier way to make money but in comparison to the vast majority who work hard for comparatively little financial reward the value system seems too skewed. Who should society value more, a TV entertainer or a nurse in A&E? 