We now know what planet Branson is on. Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Techcrunch is reporting that Sir Richard Branson has announced on the Google Blog Virgle, a joint Google/ Virgin project to establish permanent human settlement on Mars.
Branson declares that
Given the experiences of the Virgin train services, expect delays to the service and a poor inflight buffet.Larry Page, Sergey Brin and I feel strongly that contemporary technology is sufficiently advanced to make such an effort both successful and economical, and that it’s high time that humanity moved beyond Earth and began our great, long journey to explore the stars and establish our first lasting foothold on another world…In the years to come, we’ll be sending up a series of spaceships carrying (along with the supplies and tools needed to build the new colony) what eventually will be hundreds of Mars colonists, or Virgle Pioneers — myself among them.
As Branson is a tax exile in Switzerland these days, perhaps he is preparing ahead in case these tax privileges ever come under threat.
posted by John Wilson @ 8:36 AM Permanent Link
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Murdoch joins Virgn Mile High Club Tuesday, January 29, 2008
It seems BSkyB has been screwed by the UK Government order that it cuts it's 17.9% stake in ITV to less than 7.5%. This comes only a week after Labour supporter Richard Branson, a British tax exile, flew to China with Gordon Brown (British Prime Minister) and whose Virgin Group had been frustrated in his attempt to buy ITV.
The grounds cited were that the stake resulted in a substantial lessening of competition within the UK market for all television. It also enforced a ruling from the Competition Commission last month.
Two specific points of interest. Firstly, the ruling that 17.9% constitutes a "merger", rather than an investment stake, which accounting rules traditionally consider it and which would have considerably ramifications if applied more widely. Secondly, ITV shares have almost halved in value since they were acquired by BSkyB and could be driven lower by an enforced sale, so they may have a reasonable claim for sizeable damages.
As it happens, since that same trip the Government have also announced an astoundingly generous offer to guarantee bonds issued by Northern Rock, which Virgin wants to buy. So perhaps Murdoch isn't the only one who was screwed on the flight.
Labels: branson, bskyb, murdoch
posted by John Wilson @ 8:04 AM Permanent Link
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