With or Without Revenue

Here’s a story to warm your heart:

Bono has made a fresh defence of U2’s tax arrangements, claiming the Irish government would ultimately appreciate the band’s decision to deposit a share of its multimillion-pound business offshore in the Dutch Antilles.

He rejected the accusation that it was hypocritical for him to criticise the government’s economic strategies in Ireland and blamed the “cranky left” for not appreciating the band’s position.

“U2 is in total harmony with our government’s philosophy,” he told The Observer. “Tax competitiveness has taken our country out of poverty. [The revenue] accept that if you engage in that policy then some people are going to go out, and some people are coming in.”

Good for Bono, good for U-2. I’ve never been a huge fan of their sound, but I sure love to hear this stuff.