Why Are They Picking On This Businessman?

[ToraToraTora]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-35783408
get on with running the country MPs.

[youngmafbog]

These committees have a bloated sense of self importance. Just loom at that idiotic MP demanding the Google execs salary when it was the company in question.

[Svejk]

I like to see our tax-dodging, expense-fiddling, snout-troughers keeping businessmen honest.

[ToraToraTora]

he employs thousands of people and contributes millions to the economy, what could they possible want to talk to him about?

[VHG]

It makes me laugh when these government groups haul in a business person and critisize them for the way they run their business.

Yet government departments are TERRIBLE at running businesses and have lost millions and millions of pounds on failed schemes, failed IT projects, selling off government assets too cheaply and so on.

But they rarely get hauled before anyone to explain the losses.

[anotheoldgit]

If there are any suspected breach of certain employment laws etc, then why are the police not involved, surely it is their job and not the job of certain self important MPS?

[jackthehat]

Possibly because they have concerns about quite how he is running his business?

If he is paying 'slave-rates', etc. you *do* realise that you as taxpayers are making up the difference to a reasonable standard via Working Tax Credits, don't you?

[Mamyalynne]

Why won't he meet with the committee?

[youngmafbog]

If they think that then change the Tax credit or Corporation tax etc, talking self importantly to a business man from Sports Direct or Google is a waste of time and is only for the vanity of the MP.

Oh you dont like that either I suppose?

[youngmafbog]

//Why won't he meet with the committee?//

Probably because he is busy running a business rather than being a political sponger?.

[Mamyalynne]

Busy he may be, but if it was my business with those shocking reports I would be very quick to speak out and refute them.

[Svejk]

///Why won't he meet with the committee?///

Why should he?

[ToraToraTora]

JTH:"Possibly because they have concerns about quite how he is running his business?" - anything illegal going on? call plod.

"If he is paying 'slave-rates', etc. you *do* realise that you as taxpayers are making up the difference to a reasonable standard via Working Tax Credits, don't you? " - again anything illegal going on? Are these people rounded up and pressed into working? Can they leave and get another job?

mamy: why should he go and talk to a load of self important charlatans when he's doing nothing illegal? If they want a chat they can go to his office.

[Mamyalynne]

Right, so this is less about the working practices at Mike Ashley's business and more about wishing to disband the Business, Innovation and Skills Committee.

[Svejk]

They have Vazeline on a standards committee.
And Margaret bloody Hodge grilling businesses about their tax affairs. Ha ha ha, you couldn't make it up.

[ToraToraTora]

could give a rats plaster about these silly "committees" - they serve no purpose except to give the members another reason to claim exes.

[Gromit]

I am sure everyone summoned to appear before a select committee is a busy man (or woman).

Rupert and James Murdoch, who appeared a few years ago, are not exactly men of leisure, they too are busy but appeared. Mike Ashley can be seen for several hours every week attending a football match.

So it would appear that his none show is more about being scared rather than being busy. An innocent person would regard the appearance as a very public outlet to set the story straight, and give his side of the story. His reluctance to appear probably mean all the charges in the report are true.

One of Parliaments jobs is to write the law concerning UK business practice, and to uphold that law. In effect it must police that its laws are working, and investigate when they are not.

[ToraToraTora]

he's doing nothing illegal, why should he have to go before some sort of kangaroo "committee" - what is there to explain? just send him an email with the questions. All they want to do is make political capital by mouthing off at a prominent business man. They just want to say "Aren't I tough!" to the public. What actual purpose do these "committees" serve?

[ToraToraTora]

"One of Parliaments jobs is to write the law concerning UK business practice, and to uphold that law. " - no it is to make laws, plod upholds the law.

"In effect it must police that its laws are working, and investigate when they are not." - Change them till they do then.

[Svejk]

Perhaps we should give MP's a blue light and a breathalyser kit.
They could check how the drink/drive laws are working when on the way home.

[EDDIE51]

Because his employment rules are so bad they are actually illegal !
http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/dec/09/how-sports-direct-effectively-pays-below-minimum-wage-pay
Over 80% of his staff are on zero hours contracts at less than the minimum wage and many other violations of employment law.
He is a criminal , simple as that.