Brothers, troublemakers and tax avoiders

On The Spit gets very upset when legends who sit on the perch of fame and fortune, who are lauded by Greek baby boomers, fall and knock themselves out.

It is not just that they bring shame to themselves for their ill-considered actions but they also bring down others in their wake.

Let On The Spit introduce you to Tolis Voskopoulos, a star of Greek music scene for the the last five decades who also enjoyed a long career in film.

Tolis is a legend; a man who has been known to make Greek women over the age of 50 swoon and Greek men of the same vintage step up and try and mimic his style and elegance.

This is the man who captured a certain sensitive masculinity and traded on a sense of vulnerability he was able to portray to great effect.

However this same sensitive star whose has sold millions of records over the last five decades, who has starred in a number classic Greek films of the golden era and who is known as the stage performer with the Midas touch because his shows are always sold out, has been caught out with his pants down.

The Prince of the Greek stage has been outed for owing over the tax office 5 million euros and for not paying one shreck of his tax liabilities in seventeen years.

This despite the embarrasment of having to apply to tax authorities to wipe out his tax debts on the grounds that he is insolvent and having those insensitive clods, those indifferent faceless public servants, reject his application and compound his his plight as a rich man who refuses to pay taxes.

On The Spit can't believe our golden 'troubador of love' has managed to survive on the mere pittance that is his ex Deputy Minister's wife's salary and still look a million dollars.

But woe betide, his wife Angela Gerekou has been forced to resign her position as Deputy Minister for Tourism in the Papandreou government.

How will they survive? Who will pay for the botox and the lifting?

What other grand calamity can strike this poor man? What further indignities, what gross injustice can our baby boomer's delight endure?

Oh well, maybe the Merkel factor and the Greek financial crisis have finally claimed a big name as a victim.

Give the circumstance, On The Spit sees a certainy irony in the fact that the two biggest hits performed by the trembling lip who sings are Agonia (Agony) and Adelfia mou , alhtes, poulia (brothers, troublemakers and birds).

Foot in mouth

Hey did anyone notice how prevalent foot in mouth disease was in the Federal Liberal party this week?

Did anyone notice how much fun Tony Abbott and his gang are having trying to lose a very winnable election?

What possesses a Liberal Opposition leader to say what Tony the Lip said on the 7.30 Report on ABC Television?

Who in the right mind says: ''I know politicians are going to be judged on everything they say, but sometimes, in the heat of discussion, you go a little bit further than you would if it was an absolutely calm, considered, prepared, scripted remark, which is one of the reasons why the statements that need to be taken absolutely as gospel truth is those carefully prepared scripted remarks."

So the word that is your word are those words that are not just words flying around in the ether but words that have landed on the page as the result of endless polishing by a speechwriter.

So you give your word that the only words we can trust as being the words that you are willing to give us as your word are your words when those words are...... damn this is hard work.

On The Spit has one question to ask Tony Abbott: When is a man's word his word?

Foot in mouth pt.2

Let me offer you another example of a Federal Liberal gaffe.

"Next Wednesday at the National Press Club, Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey will announce further measures to reduce spending and to increase productivity including a detailed response to the new spending and new savings proposals in the budget.''

Now these are not complicated words. What I can surmise from these words are simple: Tony Abbott stands up in Federal parliament and during his reply to the Federal Budget indicates that jovial Joe will annouce new spending and savings proposals.

What did we get: Jovial Joe made general remarks, copped a battering from journalists for not addressing the spending and savings proposals.

Once he finished a press release detailing the Liberal spending and savings measures was released and Shadow Finance Minister Andrew Robb was left with the responsibility of answering questions.

The only problem is that when Robb the Knife was asked who was responsible for the details of the proposed spending and savings proposals he responded, "Joe's idea."