On a recent bus tour of Barcelona, the recorded commentary declared the 'immortal' words of exiled Catalonian President Josep Tarradellas on his return in 1977: 'Citizens of Catalonia, I am here'. This immediately conjured in my mind the immortal line from the BBC's Goon Show: 'Everybody's got to be somewhere.' Great philosophy it aint, but…
No flies on them, mate
Filling in the immigration card at the start of the descent into Melbourne International Airport earlier this week, I could not help but chuckle as I checked the "No" box against the question "Do you have any criminal convictions?" I was unavoidably reminded of that hackneyed joke, attributed to the late Tony Hancock and especially popular…
Reach for the sky
A story about a Dutch company that did the rounds of the world's press on April 23 got me checking whether the Netherlands, ever the laid back pot-smoker of Europe, celebrated April Fools' Day a few weeks late. In a grand press conference it was announced that candidates are invited to apply for a one-way ticket to…
For tax advisor and country
There is a framed football shirt hanging on my son's wall. It is half blue, half white - the blue half sporting the insignia of the Israel Football Association and the white half the Three Lions of England. Scrawled in indelible marker across the English half is the inscription "Good Luck, Bobby Charlton" ( for the benefit…
Tax Break 