Lunch Is For Wimps
I had just about got used to the absurdity of banks being bailed out by the government in supposedly capitalist countries, when this came up (from BBC Football Gossip) :
"[Roman, duh] Abramovich has seen his most important stock market investment, steel producer Evraz, rescued by a $1.8bn (£1.2bn) loan from the Russian government, as concerns grow about how hard the Chelsea owner has been hit by the credit crunch. (Observer)"
Let's rewind a little. At the height of this lunacy, when the banks came cap in hand to the government a couple of months ago, I'd have said something like this : "OK, well we'd like to give you a $200 million handout. But. Over the years, we estimate that you have evaded (legally or otherwise) $500 million of tax. So now you owe us $300 million. Say thank you for your handout. Oh, and if you stiff any of your savers you're going to jail". And what happens then is, if the bank can't fund their debts, they go to the wall. All their assets are paid out to savers, and if anyone who had money in the bank is still short, they are compensated directly and personally by the government, I'd have no problem with that. What doesn't happen is these cunts who've been swanning around the City lording it over everyone and having their arses licked by the Mail and the Standard for 10 years get another fucking bonus. Instead, they can sit in the corner of tube stations going "spare us a pound for lunch mate" and I'll say "Lunch is for wimps". How cool would that be ?
If the bank loans me some money and I do it all playing roulette, do I get a fucking handout ? What the fuck ? Barnet Council, for example, lost £27 million of ratepayers money when Iceland went busto. Why is no one held accountable ? That wasn't your money ! And you lost it ! I don't care whether Iceland or Barnet Council are held accountable, as long as someone is. But no. So they close down nurseries, sell off more playing fields, subcontract more services to complete cowboys and probably still get voted in next time. What the fuck is wrong with us ?
At least I'm not paying any of it. Tax free gambling ftw. And finally, of course, we come back to Abramovich. This guy made a ludicrous amount of money raping Russia's natural reserves, buying huge oil and gas concerns for a song (it was "Blue Monday") through his cronies in the government. And if that's not enough, instead of spending it on a volcano island with a huge supercomputer for world domination, like any self-respecting supervillain would, he spunks most of it off taking the most loathsome football club in the world from bankruptcy to a bulging trophy cabinet. Then he hits "hard times" and the government gives him some more ? Jesus. Why don't you just give him the keys to the treasury and let him dip in and out as he pleases. Or is that practically what we've already done anyway.
"[Roman, duh] Abramovich has seen his most important stock market investment, steel producer Evraz, rescued by a $1.8bn (£1.2bn) loan from the Russian government, as concerns grow about how hard the Chelsea owner has been hit by the credit crunch. (Observer)"
Let's rewind a little. At the height of this lunacy, when the banks came cap in hand to the government a couple of months ago, I'd have said something like this : "OK, well we'd like to give you a $200 million handout. But. Over the years, we estimate that you have evaded (legally or otherwise) $500 million of tax. So now you owe us $300 million. Say thank you for your handout. Oh, and if you stiff any of your savers you're going to jail". And what happens then is, if the bank can't fund their debts, they go to the wall. All their assets are paid out to savers, and if anyone who had money in the bank is still short, they are compensated directly and personally by the government, I'd have no problem with that. What doesn't happen is these cunts who've been swanning around the City lording it over everyone and having their arses licked by the Mail and the Standard for 10 years get another fucking bonus. Instead, they can sit in the corner of tube stations going "spare us a pound for lunch mate" and I'll say "Lunch is for wimps". How cool would that be ?
If the bank loans me some money and I do it all playing roulette, do I get a fucking handout ? What the fuck ? Barnet Council, for example, lost £27 million of ratepayers money when Iceland went busto. Why is no one held accountable ? That wasn't your money ! And you lost it ! I don't care whether Iceland or Barnet Council are held accountable, as long as someone is. But no. So they close down nurseries, sell off more playing fields, subcontract more services to complete cowboys and probably still get voted in next time. What the fuck is wrong with us ?
At least I'm not paying any of it. Tax free gambling ftw. And finally, of course, we come back to Abramovich. This guy made a ludicrous amount of money raping Russia's natural reserves, buying huge oil and gas concerns for a song (it was "Blue Monday") through his cronies in the government. And if that's not enough, instead of spending it on a volcano island with a huge supercomputer for world domination, like any self-respecting supervillain would, he spunks most of it off taking the most loathsome football club in the world from bankruptcy to a bulging trophy cabinet. Then he hits "hard times" and the government gives him some more ? Jesus. Why don't you just give him the keys to the treasury and let him dip in and out as he pleases. Or is that practically what we've already done anyway.