Tuesday, July 08, 2008

That's another fine mess you've gotten us into Bingley



A few weeks ago I was browsing the amusingly bitter and twisted threads over at
Schadenfreude Centrale aka The House Price Crash Forum, when I came across this post...


"Who here is not...
short on Persimmons?
short on A&L?
short on B&B?
Come June 23rd when Soc Gen offer their next generation of warrants...
Who here is not going to short the british high st?
short on M&S anyone?
It's really not that difficult is it."


and it struck me at the time that the answer was 'no, no it's not'

The only surprising thing is how long it is taking for the likes of B&B (Bradford and Bingley) and A&L (Alliance and Leicester) to die once and for all




though it looks like B&B is finally slipping under




and don't expect the crack financial analysts over at Channel 4 News to provide any insight into what's going on. They're labouring under the impression that Bradford and Bingley is still a building society (with a stock market listing?!)...




...ah well, only 8 years out of date

I was working for a building society at the time of great carpetbagging demutualisation frenzy and it struck me at the time that a very deliberate crime was being commited, though I still don't think, more than ten years later, that the penny has dropped with most people.

That's partly because most of the ex-building societies continued to give off the airs and graces of mutual organisations, when they had in fact been transformed into something quite different
. Some ceased to exist in all but name. Some were turned into vehicles which exceeded even pre-existing banks in their toxicity; Bradford and Bingley, Alliance and Leicester and, of course, Northern Rock are the first which come to mind

All entirely accidental of course

and whilst on the subject of amusing price charts, here are a couple of risque little numbers...

the pound/euro exchange rate -


$ gold -



if you hold your breath and listen very carefully you might just be able to hear the creaking sound of some very edgy bankers struggling to keep the £ up and gold down

It must be proving to be quite a strain for the poor dears

.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

HPC... saved my life 3 years ago.

Stef said...

...one of the funniest forums on the web, especially recently

Anonymous said...

The sound of giddy collective I told you so's in every thread!

Anonymous said...

A bit off topic, but "Madeleine McCann: Kate and Gerry's fury at 'club' devoted to prosecuting them".

Fascinating use of spin by Mitchell. Also, the first I heard about,

"A retired British solicitor, Tony Bennett, has set up a fund called The Madeleine Foundation, which aims to bring a private prosecution against the McCanns for alleged child neglect.

...

Mr Bennett, 60, who has in the past worked with the family of Stuart Lubbock, the man found dead in Michael Barrymore's swimming pool in 2001, described his fund as a subscription-only members' club, charging a £10 annual fee.

Last year he tried unsuccessfully to launch a private prosecution against the McCanns, only to be told by magistrates in Leicester that they had no jurisdiction over the case, because Madeleine disappeared in Portugal.
"

It seems like the trash who hoaxed the abduction of their daughter should've done it abroad. (Anyone remember their names?)

Anonymous said...

Apologises for derailing this thread slightly but this is too good to miss:

There's an amusing new government site aimed at introducing the youth of today to the shiny happy wonderful world of government ID schemes - http://www.mylifemyid.org complete with a friendly cuddly message from the home secretary herself!

It's obviously a serious attempt to really listen to what our young people have to say about this vital issue. So when Jacqui reads the messageboard she'll get the message loud and clear won't she? -

- Proving my age is a very different thing to proving my identity
- This is blatant government propaganda
- This site is government propanda
- Shop Assistants using the need to show ID to bully people
- The Nation ID Register is not secure - here's just one powerful reason
- SAY NO TO I.D. CARDS
- How can you stop civil servants peeking
- I'd rather emmigrate or go to prison
- Don't want one either
- Why centralised?
- Disagree with ID Cards and hav your post removed
- Don't want, Won't have
- Creepy
- Stopping the ID card scheme
- I don't trust you.
- Civil Disobedience


Warms the cockles of the heart it does.

Anonymous said...

Arrg the way the moderator on that id site is trying to massage the debate is asbolutly blatant and creepy:


Hi British Nick,

I understand what you say about a card not being able to stop a person from making an actual bomb. This can still happen!

I wish that the new system would stop terrorists altogether. It might be more difficult to gain access to the country from the EU if passports have chips with an individuals face and eye scans and fingerprints on. This might stop unwanted people (terrorists) coming into the country???

It will be annoying that we have to have our fingerprints taken as well.

Do you think that holding information on a central database is better than lots of different paperwork? Is this not safer and easier?

Let us know

Cheers mate.


The faux open minded chumminess particularly.

Anonymous said...

the banking system is a scam.
this is a great documentary about how banks came into being.Fascinating stuff.3hrs long but worth watching.Economic ic prophecy coming true.Bill Still take it away.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-515319560256183936

The Money Masters - How International Bankers Gained Control of America

must watch

Anonymous said...

for those who cannot concentrate for over 3hrs here is a 47min animation that explains it pretty much the same in a very entertaining way.
Money As Debt

knowledge is power

Anonymous said...

The shills at Shittings are out to get Murray, see here

Anonymous said...

Freddie fucks Fanny.

http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=FRE

Freddie fucks Fanny.

Fanny fucks Freddie

Fanny fucks Freddie

go to the comment section for a hoot.

Anonymous said...

from the fucked Fanny yahoo message board.

BUSH HAS BANKRUPTED MORE THAN A COMPANY THIS TIME 11-Jul-08 09:15 am
HE SINGLE HANDEDLY RUINED A NATION THAT HAS EXISTED FOR 250 YEARS


Re: BUSH HAS BANKRUPTED MORE THAN A COMPANY THIS TIME 11-Jul-08 09:49 am
It's all of us. Ignorance and Indifference...a lethal combination. And now instead of finally addressing the core problems it's name calling and loyalty to a political party. "No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible."- Voltaire


you know its struck me that if the good ol US of Asshole dies financially then a major war is guaranteed.
These nutjobs in Washington and the Pentagon may turn to the last resort to stave of the possibility of total financial meltdown.War.

Anonymous said...

ps look what it did for Germany after ww2