Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Rational decision making

It's fairly clear that the likes of the BBC and Sky have been told to 'cool it' today.

And the No.1 reason being given why people should leave their life savings in a mortally wounded bank that's managed by gibbons, when there are dozens of other deposit taking institutions often located next door to Northern Rock branches more than happy to take the money at comparable interest rates, is?

"It saves queuing outside in the rain"


I've got some news for the BBC and Sky...




It's not actually raining

and, apparently, there aren't any queues


On the other hand if Northern Rock depositors decide to stroll into their local branches in the blazing sunshine to transfer their life savings into a bank that isn't terminally fucked they won't be able to watch television and lap up all those fascinating stories about the McCanns and Foot and Mouth that are creeping back onto our screens

Hmmm, tricky choice

-

edit:

Some of the comments underneath this post include reference to coverage of the McCann story and the involvement of alleged master of the Media Dark Arts, Clarence Mitchell...




which reminded me of a curious wee interview given by the BBC to one of the people queuing outside Northern Rock's Golders Green branch earlier today

Not only was he about a third the age of your typical Northern Rock conspiraloon depositor he also explained in fairly eloquent terms that...

  • he was only queuing up to withdraw some money from Northern Rock so that he could buy shares in Northern Rock which were now a bargain price
  • he was going to leave the rest of his money in Northern Rock because it was just as safe there as anywhere else, probably safer
  • everything, in fact, was just fucking peachy

...as Northern Rock customers waiting outside one of its braches go, a dream come true for both the bank and the government

Isn't it great when dreams come true

It was all a bit thick really and the Beeb wisely skipped repeating the interview in tonight's 10 o'clock bulletin

.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

You could listen to Alistair Stewart on the ITN lunchtime news barking at 'spokesman' Clarence Mitchell: "What use are you? They can't speak, you have nothing new to tell us. What use are you?"

Marvellous.

Stef said...

"To suggest that they somehow harmed Madeleine accidentally or otherwise is as ludicrous as it is nonsensical," Clarence Mitchell, referring to accusations in British and Portuguese media, told reporters outside the McCanns' house.

"The focus must now return to Madeleine and move away from the rampant, unfounded and inaccurate speculation of recent days," said Mitchell, who resigned his job as a government official to represent the McCanns.


and if that isn't fucking curious behaviour I don't know what is

Anonymous said...

I suppose now he's not working for Gordon, it's not so strange. I agree though, the whole thing does stinks to hell

Stef said...

Ex-government employees, particularly spooky ones, are up there with high profile Muslim converts who call for global jihad IMHO

Stef said...

Most convincing high profile Muslim convert calling for global jihad ever?!!

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Yahiye_Gadahn

Anonymous said...

I think we may have an idea what CLarence and his media circus have been all about:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=482337&in_page_id=1770&ct=5

Is it that old spook tactic of muddying the waters?

Stef said...

"I can't think of any case in Portugal where this has happened. Doesn't Gordon Brown have a job to do? Why is he getting involved in a police investigation? We have a job to do and need space in which to do it."

priceless

The Antagonist said...

I haven't been paying this Maddie thing too much attention but who, pray tell, is the mysterious benefactor paying Clarrie's wages now that he's left the employ of the taxpayer?

Who are the directors behind the private firm that is the Find Maddie / Mr & Mrs McCann's Get out of Jail Free Fund?

What does any of this have to with Richard Branson who chipped in £100K?

Stef said...

Doesn't everyone with a missing child have senior government media specialists resigning so that they can speak on their behalf on television, six figure donations from multi millionaires and access to General Pinochet's defence team?

It's normal isn't it?

Anonymous said...

As a conspiraloon you'll be proud of me about this one...

Did Colin McRae know something about this affair?

Stef said...

yum, conspirolicious

lose a few points for not working Branson-pal Steve Fossett's recent disappearance (in Nevada, yay!) in as well though

Anonymous said...

Been an avid reader of the Mirror's absolutely hilariously brilliant conspiracy theory crazy forum, I can't help mention Castlecraig, the apparent McCann family drug clinic that treats politicians and members of the military...

Stef said...

just catching up with my daily dose of Mirrorloonery right now...

http://tinyurl.com/3449wa

a must read

I feel in my bones that Our numbers are rising and Our strength growing with each passing day. A new Golden Age of Lunatic Unreason is close at hand.

It'll be ace

Anonymous said...

You have to admire the Mirror forum users. I mean there's a lot on insane speculation there but also lots of good cynical and acute conspiraloonacy. It's really very heartening. The only problem for me is the vast disparity between the Mirrors online forum and the actual newspaper. I mean, what are they playing at?

The Antagonist said...

Bread and circuses, only the bread is stale and the circus performers don't have any new tricks.

Stef said...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fanny_Adams#Phrase

The Antagonist said...

Is Making the News a step up or down from Presenting the News?

Anonymous said...

Hi Stef

2 points: can you set up an RSS feed (or whatever feed) for comments?

Secondly, isn't it fun to find conspiraloons? For example, I'm reading a book called "Who Owns Britain" by Kevin Cahill (basically, a scholarly work about land registry which he can't help politicising 'cos of various injustices within the system).

When I looked up what was said about the author on wikipedia I found the following, "Kevin Cahill claimed that, prior to his assisination in 1979, Conservative MP Airey Neave was on the verge of a massive overhaul of the security services, possibly involving a merger of MI5 and MI6 and arising from his belief in corruption in the security services. Cahill suggests a link between Neave's murder and Sir Christopher Sykes' murder and the attempted murder of Christopher Tugendhat in December 1980. Cahill claims that Neave would have been head of the combined security services with Sykes and Tugendhat as his deputies, with Sykes responsible for foreign operations and Tugendhat responsible for home operations."

A word of warning though, "Whilst working in the House of Commons as Paddy Ashdown's research assistant Cahill claims to have had around six conversations with the security staff there. The most frequent remark was that "everyone knew" the story behind Neave's death but that no one could talk about it in detail because it would have been too dangerous. Cahill claims they did not believe INLA murdered Neave but that it was an "inside job"."

Anonymous said...

Oh my God! Yet another Conspiraloon! and this time, it's none other than Enoch Powell. Just been reading about Airey Neave, where Powell comments on his assasination, "Another person who did not accept the generally accepted version of events was Enoch Powell, the Ulster Unionist MP. Powell claimed in an interview with The Guardian on 9 January 1984 that the Americans had murdered Neave, along with Lord Mountbatten and Robert Bradford MP. He claimed the evidence came from a member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary with whom he had a conversation.[7]

On 18 October 1986 Powell returned to the subject of Neave's death in a speech to Conservative students in Birmingham. He told them that INLA had not killed Neave but was assassinated by "MI6 and their friends". Powell claimed Neave's Northern Ireland policy had been one of integration with the rest of the UK and that the Americans feared that this process, if implemented by Neave, would have been irreversible. His murder, alleged Powell, was intended to make the British Government adopt a policy more acceptable to America in her aim of a united Ireland within NATO.[8]
"

Who are these weird "normal" types who can't break out of a Guassian mind set? (mmm ... something to ponder ... conspiraloon - blackswan world / normal - gaussian world; or in Nassim Nicholas Taleb nomenclature: conspiraloon - extremistan; normal - mediocristan)

Anonymous said...

OFF TOPIC, but a must see.

Maybe you've seen this already, but anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CheY0jYXJjY

At a John Kerry talk in a Florida University, yesterday, a writer on a college newspaper asks Kerry a question about his conceding the 2004 election despite multiple reports of illegal voter purges etc., and about his membership of Skull & Bones.

By way of response he is hauled off the mic by 6 cops, held down, and tasered.

Garry Nixon said...

It's an odd thing I've observed in conversations the last few days at work or in the pub - it's right wing people who deride those trying to get their cash out of Northern Rock.

Anonymous said...

So much for freedom of speech in Moronica. Notice how all the muppets sat to one side smirking as he was being dragged out of the room?

Stef said...

@anon

re. airey neave

I see that wikipedia entry you link to includes reference to Operation 'Clockwork Orange' and the (in)security forces attempts to destabilise Harold Wilson's government. Harold Wilson of course uttered one of the all-time great quotes of British conspiraloonacy

"I see myself as the big fat spider in the corner of the room. Sometimes I speak when I'm asleep. You should both listen. Occasionally when we meet I might tell you to go to the Charing Cross Road and kick a blind man standing on the corner. That blind man may tell you something."

Marvelous, truly marvelous

A little more reading around Airey Neave should lead on to the rather unique lifetime achievements of his former MI9 subordinate Michael Bentine - co-founder of the Goons, paranormal researcher, mentor to Prince Charles, creator of Michael Bentine's Potty Time and godfather of SAS counter-terrorism operations (not to be confused with Michael Bentine's Potty Time)

a google search for...

"michael bentine .44 magnum sas"

is rewarding

Anonymous said...

Fuck me, bentine in the sas, milligan a malthusiasist, sellers a wheelchair bound nazi, where does sir harry fit into this dark picture? Was his 'highway' to hell?!!?
These goons were obviously no laughing matter.

Anonymous said...

Excellent posts recently Stef. I too have noticed the subservient role the BBC is playing to the Government liers. It has cheered me up no end to see people pull their money out of this Northern Rock hole. Now if only they would buy some old rotten eggs and some soggy fruit with all that 2bn and plet the crap out of AD and the other scumbags squatting in Westminster, then I'd feel much happier.

Gold is going haywire, the US dollar scam is being blown open. Expect Syria or Iran to be hit by Israel very soon.

Stef said...

@anon

an RSS comment thingy should now be on the sidebar somewhere - and yes, this blog has been graced with some excellent top shelf, sorry, drawer comments of late

it can't last

@paul

Harry Secombe, of course, hit the charts with 'If I ruled the World' back in the early 60s

Anonymous said...

Aint this nice: "I am also pleased to announce that any customer who has paid a penalty for withdrawing their investment, will have the penalty refunded if they re-invest the same amount in the same type of account by 5th October 2007."

http://www.northernrock.co.uk/

Give us your money back and we'll give you your money back. I feel the need to view the dead parrot sketch again if only to get a dose of anti-surrealism

When the man makes statements like this, you know it's time to go.

Anonymous said...

1 more thing, Check out Adam J. Applegarth's signature. Does anyone else think it's rather 'twitchy'? HArdly inspires confidence. Is he having a laugh? Any symbols hiding in those letters? Is that a pyramid with a capstone I see and the first A holding a noose? and the rather forced smile - sheesh!

sensitively and mouselessly yours... lw.

Anonymous said...

And there's more...

NR in its statement, says usury profits will be between £540m and £500. IS that before over £2bn was withdrawn? or after? What is that figure based on? This rock aint no pummice let it sink like the stone it is.

lw

Anonymous said...

Even more.

Plz dont ban me. Comment on this is a case study in spin and lies.

See how they report the projected profit. It goes UP from £500m - £540m. What do you think the impression would be if they reported it like the way I just did £540m - £500m. Whaddya think humptey would say? - LW

Stef said...

Plz dont ban me

How could I ban someone when they're on a roll

Anonymous said...

Marvellous. One L or two?

Either way, this wins the thread of the month award for me.h

Airey Neave was a well rumoured inside job before the interweb. Not entirely sure whether Mtbatten was seen in quite the same way. Seemed too shocking, iirc.

The Antagonist said...

Check out Adam J. Applegarth's signature. Does anyone else think it's rather 'twitchy'? HArdly inspires confidence. Is he having a laugh? Any symbols hiding in those letters? Is that a pyramid with a capstone I see and the first A holding a noose? and the rather forced smile - sheesh!

Hmmm, I think you might be on to something....

The Antagonist said...

And, as if further proof were required of some hidden force manipulating events, the previous comment was the 33rd comment.

Spooky.

Anonymous said...

Anyone else notice a sudden chill in the air? Either a noose or a swag bag. I'll plummet for the noose! - lw

Stef said...

Marvellous. One L or two?

it all depends on whether you've left blogger spell check at default US settings or not

Anonymous said...

other patterns.
The latter a coupled to the m is a snake (the head the 'a', the body the 'm' and its slithering towards the noose.
The bridge of the initial capital A has the curvature rather like a heavy erect penis and also points to the noose. Shades of necrophelia and bestiality.

Strweth! I really must lay off this night time coffee!
- Lw

Stef said...

... and if you're a crap speller or not

Anonymous said...

I could say it's so that the big bruv boys dunt scan my posts and identify me as a threat, but I'd be fibbing

Anonymous said...

A further point to note re Northern Wreck, here.

Basically, what the Chancellor and BoE are doing is most probably illegal under European law.