Harriet Harman on Sir Fred Goodwin

beaujolais-nouveau

123oleary wrote: »

fred goodwin is now having his use of expenses probed by the government and being lectured on financial integrity by peter mandelson. pot and kettle ?

I read on another forum that Fred Goodwin's children are fighting between themselves over the inheritance that they suddenly imagine themselves getting and moving their investments to maximise their eventual pay-out. I have of course not been able to check the veracity of this scurrilous rumour.

1echidna

beaujolais-nouveau wrote: »

It is our money, taxpayers' money and our children's and grandchildren's taxes. And Clown just gave it to them - they didn't have to earn it. Perhaps a couple more bank collapses would stop the others expecting bail-out number 3.

For the next 50 years, we can forget about equipping the defence forces adequately to defend us; we can forget about funding research for new cures; roads and bridges will fall into disrepair and be closed because there is no money to maintain and keep them safe. Civil servants, teachers, will be required to take a cut in salary (that happened in the 1930s). Unless we find a diamond mine or a vast new oil field within our national boundaries, we are stuffed - and very, very vulnerable to invasion by another country looking for somewhere to export their Third World immigrants or convicted criminals to. There will be a huge increase in crime, and not enough police to deal with it (police budgets have already been cut), huge increase in unemployment, massively expensive food. Even countries like Thailand are better off than the UK, as they at least can feed themselves.

Yes, I am very gloomy and - I think - with good reason.

One has very good reason to be gloomy. But it is painfully obvious we are in disaster mode here. Pay lip service to defending the the living standards of 'hard working families' but ultimately it is the structural pillars of our economy and society (or even civilisation) that have to be defended. The panic and disruption caused by collapsing banks would be an incredible blow and might have caused the complete collapse of trust and confidence in our financial system with almost unimaginable consequences and had to be avoided. True we are all going to be impoverished as a result but there really was no option.

1echidna

beaujolais-nouveau wrote: »

Non sequitur. What the flip has the design of an oil platform got to do with the current global synchronised financial collapse?

You were the one arguing that parliament should get involved with more technical detail of financial matters. I just broadened it out a little.

beaujolais-nouveau

1echidna wrote: »

collapsing banks would be an incredible blow and might have caused the complete collapse of trust and confidence in our financial system with almost unimaginable consequences and had to be avoided. True we are all going to be impoverished as a result but there really was no option.

I think you'll find that there is already a collapse of trust and confidence - people whose pensions and savings have been trashed are extraordinarily angry - and pensioners who were relying on the interest income from their savings are already much, much poorer.

Kez100

I wish they would stop making announcements and get on with sorting it out. The only announcement we want is 1.Yes he gets it, or 2. No he doesn't, or 3. We don't know and the court case will be heard in a couple of months time

1echidna

beaujolais-nouveau wrote: »

I think you'll find that there is already a collapse of trust and confidence - people whose pensions and savings have been trashed are extraordinarily angry - and pensioners who were relying on the interest income from their savings are already much, much poorer.

They are angry but not nearly as angry as they would have been if they had been completely wiped out by bank collapses.

Kez100

beaujolais-nouveau wrote: »

I read on another forum that Fred Goodwin's children are fighting between themselves over the inheritance that they suddenly imagine themselves getting and moving their investments to maximise their eventual pay-out. I have of course not been able to check the veracity of this scurrilous rumour.

He might end up being the oldest person ever. On that income he can afford to be preserved on private life support so they can continue to draw it.

bubblesmoney

Kez100 wrote: »

He might end up being the oldest person ever. On that income he can afford to be preserved on private life support so they can continue to draw it.

when he is 89y old he could marry a 18y old (like the famous anna nicole smith wedding episode who married a 89y old billionaire and he died soon after) and even if he dies soon after, his 18y old wife could keep on drawing the spouse pension till she dies probably at the ripe old age 70-80y later!!!! there have been anecdotal cases of people with huge pensions & assets marrying people young enough to be their great grand children and then the tax payer bears the brunt of the pensions for decades for spouses.

with a pension of £650,000 annually there wont be any lack of willing girls barely 18y old who would would jump at a chance at riches if they could marry him when he is 89y old and about to pop off from this world. then the tax payer will be paying this sort of pension for a really long time even after he dies at the ripe old age of 89 or more!

Oblivion

Kez100 wrote: »

He might end up being the oldest person ever. On that income he can afford to be preserved on private life support so they can continue to draw it.

Then again, he might not survive another six months. There are now a lot of very angry people out there wanting revenge. I wouldn't be in his shoes for all the money in the world.

Dave.

1echidna

bubblesmoney wrote: »

when he is 89y old he could marry a 18y old (like the famous anna nicole smith wedding episode) and even if he dies soon after, his 18y old wife could keep on drawing the spouse pension till she dies probably at the ripe old age 70-80y later!!!! there have been anecdotal cases of people with huge pensions & assets marrying people young enough to be their great grand children and then the tax payer bears the brunt of the pensions for decades for spouses.

with a pension of £650,000 annually there wont be any lack of willing girls barely 18y old who would would jump at a chance at riches if they could marry him when he is 89y old and about to pop off from this world.

I have heard of rich elderly men doing that before. Wouldn't make him popular with other relatives if most of his estate went to her.