They’re at it again. George Osborne this time, whinging on about the iniquities of large corporations. He is going to unveil his plans in his December mini-budget. How dare corporations take inept tax laws at face value and divert profits offshore to avoid corporation tax. He is going to stop the likes of Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Facebook and Starbucks indulging in the so-called `Double Irish` ploy.

Fine words. But it’s going to need a Hercules to clean out this particular Augean stables of all the horse shit that is the UK’s labyrinthine tax laws … a root and branch clean up is necessary. For like the man says, “if you want to go there, I wouldn’t start from here”.

Fine words Mr Osborne, but they sound hollow.