LONDON LETTER 4TH JULY 2012

London is wet, windy and displaying to the best of its ability all the worst aspects of an English summer. Whilst I, having suffered building contractors for the last couple of weeks, am now my self engaged in a concerted programme of redecoration, everything is in a state of extreme disorder. Whatever else decorating does it performs a remarkable job of blotting out all else, you become possessed of tunnel vision, thinking only of shelving and colour schemes. On top of this I am involved in a dispute with the roofing contractors, all of which takes time and emotional energy.


That said, between an endless stream of ‘golden greats’ supplied by Capital Gold Radio, I have followed the latest banking scandal with wry amusement. What surprises me is that people seem surprised that bankers are such mendacious, greedy, unscrupulous bastards. Again we are seeing the fruits of the ‘greed is good,’ Thatcher revolution. What did people imagine would emerge from the ‘lodsamoney,’ culture? As for Mr Diamond here is someone I would not trust running the tom bola stall at the village fete, not unless I was sanguine about contributions toward church restoration being siphoned off.


When I became ill a year or so ago I was bombarded by Barclays, who, along with RBS and HSBC, were calling me up to sixteen times a day.[1] When I informed them that I was unwell they indicated that they could not consider this, the only way to stop the calls would be to pay up. As I had, almost literally, no money at this point this was not an option. In the end I stopped taking any calls and retreated to the bedroom. So it is with some personal satisfaction that I watch Barclays in particular and the banks in general in the dock.


Cameron looks more and more what he is, as Nick Cohen so acutely observes, a boy trying to do a mans job, http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/01/nick-cohen-coalition-economics.


It is particularly satisfying to see Ed Miliband land so many effective punches. He is, in my opinion turning out to be the best labour leader since John Smith.


Oh well back to the decorating.



HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY
 

[1] I assure you I am not exaggerating. When I complained to the Banking Ombudsman he informed me that they were within their rights!




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