GETCUNTRAPECUNTLIE

How is UK income tax a headache if you are out of the country for (I assume) more than 6 months in a year?

I have a canon speedlite flash which has been in bits on my desk for a couple of months now. Basically the batteries leaked and acid got into the electronics causing it to do some crazy things when turned on. The connector which I'm 90% certain is the cause of the problem is not a connector at all and I can't remove it to clean. Any suggestions for getting the remaining acid out? I've bathed it in baking powder/water mix and left it in the oven for an hour, but it still goes mental, usually as I'm putting the last screw in!

See this post for a picture of the problem: http://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/1pc02h/repair_help_how_do_i_remove_this_connector/