Top Secret

Many years ago I used to work on classified projects for the UK government. Documents were kept in combination locked security safes and documents were signed in and out from a file registry. It was highly classified stuff. We soon got to learn that the most secret documents were those that were Politically Embarrassing. Those documents had to be treated with the utmost care. 

Along comes the Gulf War and a certain Dr David Kelly the Government Weapons Inspector who released secrets that were politically embarrassing to the Government. The terrible "Weapons of Mass Destruction"!  After a lot of pressure and smearing he ended up dead in an isolated woodland. The documents from his inquest have been "sealed" for 70 years. Wasn't it an ancient English King who once uttered the words: "Who will rid me of this turbulent priest?" 

Now we are seeing the charity "The National Bullying Helpline" getting the Kelly Treatment from the establishment. Their crime? To release information that is embarrassing to those at No: 10 Downing Street. The Establishment is closing ranks and persecuting the founder of the helpline while the real Bully is escaping the limelight. Essentially what we are seeing is yet more bullying from the Government. 

Alaric

The Banks just don't get it do they?

I've just seen a rant on a Blogsite where the author bewails that banks are not charities. It is typical view of a majority of investment bankers who think that they are owed a highly paid job where the remuneration is orders of magnitude greater than the average national wage. In fact most of their jobs are not that complex and there not really much more personal risk than someone working in an industrial firm. I've seen these people at work for over 30 years, so I know what they do.

The tax payers rescued the banking system. Without that rescue those highly paid bankers would be on the street. It certainly is good fodder for a storyline in my next book.

Alaric.

Back to work

I'm finally making progress with the third book of the Adam Cranford series. I've had a month or so of writers' block, coupled with a busy time in my main job of creating trading floors. One of the things that we advise on is physical security in trading floors and data centers. The managers are beginning to realise the depth of public anger over the banking crisis and the obscene levels of bonuses/salary for traders. They realise that this will soon spill over into real attacks on their business premises by the angry public. Look to see some of this in Book 3.

Alaric

Back to the Smoke

I'm travelling back down to London today. Another project in the City of London. Edinburgh has been pretty cold and dismal. I hate staying in hotels but it is necessary I guess. Maybe I'll get some time to focus on Book 3, I really haven't been able to get into the plot.

Alaric

The Gold Bar competition

We have had a successful entrant to the first level of the Adam Cranford gold bullion competition. Later this week newspaper adverts will be placed to encourage more people to try out the competition. We've made sure that the libraries in the area of the competition have Adam Cranford books available.

Alaric

Chocolate loss

The proposed takeover of Cadbury’s by Kraft is an example of destructive business practices encouraged by the banks and hedge funds. Massive amounts of money will be borrowed by Kraft, dubbed the plastic cheese maker, to perform this “buyout”, that debt will be loaded onto the resulting “Cadbury Division” weighing heavily on their profits and no doubt leading to cost cutting measures such as factory closures. No doubt within a couple of years Cadbury production will be shifted to oversea’s sites because it is deemed “too expensive” in the UK. However Kraft will still expect to sell the Cadbury product as British in the UK. There is no gain for “UK Ltd” in this sale and little gain by Kraft. The only people who gain from this further destruction of UK manufacturing is the banks funding the takeover.

I stopped buying Mars and Rowntree products when production was shifted out of the UK. I guess there is another name to add to the list.

Alaric

More road salt

Now we learn that Local Authorities were offered stockpiles of road salt at reduced prices in mid 2009, but they declined the opportunity. David Sparkes of the Local Government Association should accept that penny pinching by the Local Authorities has cost this country dearly.