The American writer Gore Vidal, once remarked that “it was not enough to succeed, others must fail”. I suspect recent comments by the German Finance Minister, Peer Steinbrück, confirm Mr Vidal’s observation. With typical teutonic efficiency, the German language already had the perfect word to describe the problems affecting the Ango-Saxon economies; schadenfreude. After years…
Those old wives knew a thing or two. A stitch in time does save nine. The road to hell is paved with good intentions and if you give a certain type of individual sufficient rope, they usually end up hanging themselves. Interestingly, such people often show up in politics or finance. Several of the world’s…
It has taken six months but the final chapters of the Northern Rock saga are about to be written. The first run on a bank since the 19th century will end in nationalisation by a government that was desperate to avoid taking such action. There will likely be legal moves, spearheaded by the two hedge…