Spear's Salon
Strong Opinion from our Stable of Star Turns
Vanessa Neumann
Dr Vanessa Neumann is a political philosopher who is editor-at-large of Diplomat magazine.
Chile's New Direction
This represents a major shift away from the divisive radicalism of the Bolivarian coalition and toward a more centrist approach
Black & Blue Friday
You’d think I’d know better at my age, but apparently hope does indeed spring eternal.
Lula and Ahmadinejad
What’s Lula up to by hosting and defending such a global enfant terrible? Same as always, in a word: power.
Palin on Oprah
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, having never watched Oprah before, but I couldn’t resist watching Sarah Palin. I cannot tell a lie: I was impressed.
GOP Chickens Now Roosting
Palin’s attack on the Republican candidate Scozzafava opened the flood gates for a party purge and a near civil-war.
The Empire (State) Strikes Back
I never understand how people find politics boring: mix dynamic personalities in pursuit of power, throw in a few scandals, a couple of twists and turns and shifting alliances, and ...
Fast Times in the Big Apple
All New Yorkers wondered how they could party into night on Halloween and yet run or cheer the marathon the following morning. Work hard, play hard!
Hate crime, thought crime
There’s something inherently wrong in punishing someone for how they feel or think; surely we should punish people for what they do.
From Russia with Steam
The torture chamber chic really comes into its own when you have a platzka. A Russian comes in with a soapy bucket and branches of oak leaves...
Unbillable Hours
Our specialists solve your HNW problems (gratis!)
Q
Is it really possible to avoid stamp duty land tax when purchasing land and property?
A
A lot has been made recently in the press about buyers of some of the UK’s most expensive homes avoiding stamp duty land tax (SDLT) by purchasing their home through a company.
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