Just days ago, Richard Branson was again pushing the Europhile narrative, that the UK must remain firmly inside the EU in order to retain access to the single market – which he says is good for British business.
If Branson gets his way, the British population would remain bound to the intentionally anti-democratic EU, our institutions taking political instructions from Brussels while having no direct input to the formulation of global agreements, which actually shape the EU’s directives that are handed down to member states.
Yet while the British people would be stuck with such an unacceptable state of affairs, it seems Branson has seen to it that he will be free of the consequences of being governed by the EU. For according to press reports, Branson is now a non-domiciled individual who has decided to become a resident of the British Virgin Islands, living on his holiday island of Necker.
All too often we see that many of those people who are most vocal in trying to determine how the British people should be governed, ensure they themselves are not subjected to that experience. And we are increasingly finding that big business is trying to determine how this country is governed in order to satisfy its vested interests, setting aside the real issue of EU membership, which is politics.
Corporatism must not be allowed to complete its victory over the notional democracy that exists here. The stakes are too great. And if those who wish to dictate how this country should be run, but exclude themselves from our society, effectively saying ‘to hell with the little people’ and expecting us to do as they say, not as they do, then we should not listen to them, but instead say to hell with them instead.
Autonomous Mind 
My thoughts as soon as I heard the news of him going to live on his Island . evidently it will lower his tax bill as well .
‘British Business’. Most of his businesses are owned by foreign nationals and corporations.
But at least he has sorted (like some evil villain in a Bond movie) an escape route once this place finally goes under.
The real question to ask of people is why they would take the word of a tax dodging liar? If the EU is so damned good, why has he just left. If the EU subsidising-UK taxes are fair and worthwhile, why is he not willing to pay them? And just how many EU immigrants that we do not want or need, will he be willing to house and support on his island?
If the old adage was no taxation without representation, perhaps the new should be no representation without taxation.
Hear! Hear! Even if you are a voice crying in the wilderness. As for that blond bouffant ponce Branson; Oh for a return to the days of tarring and feathering the malfeasant among us!
Well said James.
It saddens me that Branson has turned out this way. This was the lad who started selling a student magazine and ended up selling just about everything at one point or another.
He certainly didn’t seem to need the EU when he started (it didn’t exist) so what’s changed?
Perhaps the whole British Airways thing left him more bitter than I thought?
If Branson ever gave up posturing, he’d find himself with a lot of time on his hands.
The boss of Ryanair supported Ireland’s ist No vote but, following visible armtwisting by the EU threatening his landing slots he bowed to them on the rerun. Not noble but understandable considering what he was risking.
I assume the boss of Virgin is subject to the same pressures.
In similar vein the boss of Nissan who also supported the EU has previous – Nissan having given £200K to a government sock puppet propagandising their false health scare about salt.
Neil, this takes us back the issue of business deciding what everyone else should put up with. Their interests are not the same as ours. The single market isn’t at stake, only where decisions affecting this country are taken.
No, at least in the Ryanair case it is clear that the business, or at least its owner, wanted Ireland out of the EU. He was leaned on by government.
The difference is important because it shows that the decision making power rests with the political class not business. In many ways business is more vulnerable to political power than you and I because they have so much more to lose,
Sean Connery is another one – constantly wittering on about the welfare state and how it’s Scotland’s oil and we should use it to provide free everything for everybody, whilst taking great care himself to live in a tax haven firmly out of reach of having to pay for any of it.
Contempt is the only response to these people.