AN OPEN LETTER TO STEPHEN MERCHANT
Dear Stephen,
You seem like a very nice man. You come across as warm, personable, friendly and educated. I’m a big fan of your work, I genuinely think that the Office is one of the smartest and funniest TV shows that Britain has ever produced – your writing is insightful and considered, and the attention to detail is to be celebrated.
The Office has also made you extremely wealthy, especially through foreign sales and international remakes – something you and partner Gervais are keen to remind us at all times. I don’t begrudge you a penny of it.
It’s with that in mind, though, that I’d like to ask about why you are providing voiceovers for Barclays Bank adverts. I don’t think you need the money, so I’d like to ask what your reasons are for advertising a corporation that has longheld and well documented links to Robert Mugabe’s regime, is the worlds largest investor in the arms trade, has been accused of money laundering, paid huge bonuses to board members despite being partially responsible for the sub-prime mortgage crisis and has actively avoided between 900m and 1bn pounds in tax during the course of one year?
Mr Merchant – you are a smart, talented and informed man. Why on earth would you align yourself with this collection of thieves and extortioners? Do you really want to be the spokesman for a company that holds 7.3bn pounds in shares in the arms trade? A company that makes more profit the more people are killed in conflicts?
That’s not you. You’re better than that. I urge you to cancel your contract, have nothing more to do with the company and to publicly disown their behaviour and financial ethics. Save yourself, and us, before it’s too late.
Yours with respect
Quincy PHD
Information about Barclays taken from Wikipedia.
Good Call Quincy, I really think you should send him the letter, and let us know what he replies.
I wish more people would ask people to account for their actions in this way. Thank you
Thank you Fiona. Please pass on the link and see if we can’t get some pubic opinion on our side.
Done, will let you know how that goes!
Excellente! Hope he sees it.
[...] also worth noting, mind, that Barclays Bank avoids paying between £900m and £1bn in tax each year through government sanction loopholes. [...]
[...] think I’ve already made my feelings about Barclay’s Bank known so I’ll leave that alone and instead focus on what worries me in particular about this [...]
[...] chilling wisecracks are genuinely funny, as is Merchant’s shtick, familiar from Extras and those banking ads. We weren’t quite laughing out loud, but there are some good jokes here. Mostly it’s [...]